Artificial intelligence is no longer just an enabler of digital transformation—it is rapidly becoming the foundation for a new operating model. According to Gartner, 80% of CEOs expect AI to drive a high to medium level of change in their operational capabilities, accelerating a shift from digital business to what the firm calls “autonomous business.”
This transition signals a deeper transformation. While digital business redefined what organizations do, autonomous business is fundamentally changing how they operate. It is built on self-learning software agents and machine customers that can make decisions, take actions, and generate value with minimal human intervention.
“Autonomous business is an immediate operational priority for CEOs,” said Don Scheibenreif, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner. “It represents a shift in execution, not just strategy.”
The findings are based on Gartner’s survey of 469 CEOs and senior executives conducted through 2025. The data reveals a clear trajectory: automation is moving beyond isolated use cases toward enterprise-wide intelligence.
Currently, 54% of CEOs say automation in their organizations is still limited to specific tasks. However, this is expected to drop sharply to just 13% by 2028. In parallel, 32% of leaders anticipate deploying self-learning AI systems to augment human decision-making, while 27% expect their organizations to operate largely without human intervention—marking the rise of autonomous business ecosystems.
This evolution is not without disruption. AI is also forcing leaders to rethink how they generate revenue. Nearly 28% of CEOs believe transactional revenue models are most at risk, as AI agents streamline purchasing, pricing, and negotiation—effectively bypassing traditional intermediaries.
“As AI agents remove inefficiencies, they also eliminate the need for transaction-based fees,” said David Furlonger, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner. “Organizations will need to pivot toward outcome-based and recurring revenue models to stay competitive.”
Interestingly, while AI is transforming operations and revenue models, it is not expected to significantly alter customer bases. Only 17% of CEOs foresee major changes to their customers due to AI, a sharp contrast to the 39% seen during the digital transformation era. Instead, companies are focusing on deepening engagement with existing customers—and increasingly, machine customers.
Gartner predicts that by 2026, the number of large enterprises with dedicated business units or sales channels targeting machine customers will double compared to 2024 levels.
For CIOs, this shift presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Organizations will need to build systems that cater not only to human users but also to autonomous agents, with a strong emphasis on trust, accuracy, and data integrity.
Ultimately, the move toward autonomous business is not just a technology upgrade—it is an enterprise-wide reinvention. As Scheibenreif noted, leaders must rethink their operational foundations, redesign workflows, and realign talent and financial structures to thrive in an increasingly autonomous economy.