So some of the latest Gartner data reiterates a theme from our invite-only CMO and CRO events at 2025 SaaStr Annual + AI Summit:
Many CMOs and some CROs are scared they aren’t AI-savvy enough to succeed. And many CEOs feel that way about their CMOs and CRO. In fact, most per Gartner:
The Revenue Team Reality Check
Here’s the stat that should terrify every Chief Revenue Officer and Chief Marketing Officer: Only 18% of CROs and 15% of CMOs are considered “AI-savvy” by their own CEOs.
Think about that for a moment. These are the executives responsible for driving revenue, understanding customers, and competing in the market. Yet two-thirds of CEOs don’t trust their go-to-market leaders to navigate what 77% of those same CEOs call “a new business era” driven by AI.
This isn’t just a skills gap. It’s a strategic blind spot that could cripple revenue growth.
The AI Go-to-Market Competency Crisis
Gartner’s latest CEO survey of 456 executives worldwide reveals a stunning disconnect between CEO AI ambitions and revenue leadership readiness. While CEOs are betting their companies on AI transformation, they’re losing confidence in the very people who need to monetize that transformation.
Looking at the revenue-critical roles:
- CROs: only 18% deemed AI-savvy
- CMOs: only 15% considered ready for AI transformation (among the lowest ratings)
- CSOs (Sales): only 13% trusted with AI execution
Compare this to the CEO conviction: 77% believe AI is ushering in a new business era. The math doesn’t work for C-level execs unless they evolve and move … quicker.
Why Revenue Leaders Are Falling Behind in the AI Era
David Furlonger, VP Analyst at Gartner, captured the severity: “We have never seen such a disproportionate gap in CEOs’ impressions about technological disruption… if savviness across the C-suite is not rapidly improved, competitiveness will suffer, and corporate survival will be at stake.”
For revenue leaders, this gap is particularly dangerous because AI is fundamentally changing:
- How customers research and buy
- How sales teams should engage prospects
- How marketing generates and nurtures demand
- How customer success drives expansion
This Isn’t “MarTech 3.0” or Just Another App Evolution – It’s Revenue Transformation
Most CROs and CMOs are still thinking about AI as advanced automation – better lead scoring, smarter chatbots, enhanced personalization. But AI is reshaping the entire revenue engine:
- Sales cycles compressed through AI-powered buyer enablement
- Customer acquisition costs transformed by AI-generated content at scale
- Revenue predictability enhanced through AI-driven forecasting
- Customer lifetime value optimized via AI-powered expansion strategies
The Two Revenue Killers
CEOs identified the top barriers to AI deployment:
- Inability to hire adequate skilled people
- Inability to calculate value or outcomes
For revenue teams, these translate to specific challenges:
- Talent: Finding salespeople who can work alongside AI tools, marketers who can prompt-engineer at scale
- ROI: Proving that AI investments drive pipeline, conversion, and retention – not just efficiency
The Upskilling Imperative for Revenue Teams
Garter’s insight is crucial for go-to-market leaders: “Success isn’t just about hiring new talent. Instead, it’s about equipping current employees with the skills needed to seamlessly incorporate AI into everyday tasks.”
This means:
- Sales reps learning to leverage AI for research, personalization, and objection handling
- Marketers mastering AI-assisted content creation, campaign optimization, and attribution
- Customer success managers using AI to predict churn and identify expansion opportunities
- Revenue operations building AI-enhanced forecasting and territory planning
What This Means for CROs and CMOs
If you’re leading revenue or marketing, these are the uncomfortable questions demanding answers:
- Would your CEO rate you as AI-ready for the revenue transformation ahead?
- Are you treating AI as a sales/marketing tool or as a fundamental shift in how customers buy?
- Do you have a systematic plan to upskill your revenue team, or are you hoping to hire AI-native talent?
- Can you demonstrate clear AI ROI in pipeline generation, conversion rates, and customer expansion?
The Competitive Revenue Reality
The data reveals a harsh truth: While CEOs see AI as the defining technology of the next business era, they don’t trust their revenue leaders to capitalize on it.
This creates a massive competitive opportunity. The CROs and CMOs who rapidly develop AI savviness will drive outsized revenue growth while their peers struggle with outdated go-to-market approaches.
The Bottom Line for Revenue Leaders
The numbers don’t lie: There’s a critical gap between CEO AI expectations and revenue leadership readiness. Companies with AI-savvy CROs and CMOs will dominate their markets. Those led by executives stuck in traditional revenue or a slow roll in AI thinking will lose deals, customers, and market share.
77% of CEOs believe AI will define the next business era. The question for every revenue leader is simple: Will you be ready to monetize that transformation, or will you be replaced by someone who is?
