If you read the article in Dagens Industri titled “The giant’s statement: Swedish CEOs are AI cowards”, you will notice that Vahid Zohali, the Head of IBM Sweden, makes a striking observation: while Swedish CEOs recognize the disruptive power of AI, they remain hesitant to embrace it. This reluctance is striking not because he’s incorrect, but because he speaks the truth boldly. What’s most important is that his insights resonate profoundly with some points I would like to share across this article.
According to IBM’s CEO, 68% of Swedish CEOs agree that AI is transforming their core business. And yet, only half are willing to take bigger risks to capture AI’s potential. That’s a troubling gap — not between awareness and action, but between leadership and real commitment.
I work at the intersection of AI and business every day, and I see this risk aversion firsthand. Projects stall in endless discussions. Sandboxes remain sandboxes. Teams wait for “perfect data” or “proven ROI” before scaling anything. It’s a strategy of hesitation dressed up as responsibility.
But this is where I think the uncomfortable truth is: responsible leadership doesn’t mean avoiding risk — it means managing it. And in the context of AI, avoiding risk is, ironically, the riskiest move of all.
