ARE CIOS IN CRISIS OR CONTROL?

India's top CIOs reveal whether they're prepared for their greatest challenges yet - from quantum threats to AI governance.

- Praneeta

As technology reshapes the enterprise landscape in 2025, Chief Information Officers face a striking paradox: despite overseeing unprecedented global budgets of $5.74 trillion, they grapple with their most challenging mandate yet. The promise of artificial intelligence has collided with reality. While AI dominates strategic discussions, only 11% of organizations have successfully integrated it into their operations, according to CIO World Asia.

This implementation gap reveals a deeper truth about the modern CIO’s dilemma. As organizations rush to deploy AI, a concerning trend has emerged. A Gartner study indicates that over 60% of AI solutions are being developed outside of IT departments, creating a shadow technology landscape that jeopardizes governance, security, and compliance. While this decentralized approach to innovation may enhance agility, it also introduces significant risks to enterprise integrity.

Yet amid these challenges lies an unprecedented opportunity. With technology budgets growing 9.3% year-over-year, according to Gartner, CIOs stand at a pivotal moment. Success in 2025 demands more than technical expertise—it requires orchestrating a delicate balance between innovation and control, democratization and governance, speed and security. This evolving landscape poses a critical question: are today’s technology leaders in crisis, or are they on the verge of reimagining enterprise technology for the AI age?

In this month’s cover story, we spoke with some of the country’s leading technology leaders to uncover their 10 biggest priorities shaping the tech agenda and to understand their position in the transformation journey. From quantum security imperatives to the talent crisis, and from AI governance to sustainability mandates, their insights reveal both the complexity of the challenges ahead and the way forward for technology leadership in 2025.