A chronic talent shortage could slow businesses' adoption of AI technology this year, according to the survey.
A survey by multinational technology company IBM, which also included responses from chief executives in Ireland and the UK, found that amid a tight labour market, only 37% of employers plan to hire additional staff to embed AI technologies into their operations.
However, 50% of respondents said they are struggling to fill these roles.
Meanwhile, the report warns that many CEOs are expected to cut their current staff numbers amid pressure to adopt rapidly changing AI technologies.
Just under half of respondents said they plan to reduce or reallocate employees in the next 12 months as a result of generative AI.
But while the majority of employers surveyed said they are currently hiring for generative AI-related roles that didn't exist at their companies last year, according to a report from IBM's Business Value Institute, many companies have yet to evaluate the technology's impact on their workforce.
The report also found that two-thirds of chief executives in the UK and Ireland say they want their organisations to adopt AI technologies at a faster pace than some employees are comfortable with.
