What happened
PwC's 2026 Annual Corporate Directors Survey, based on responses from nearly 600 US public-company directors, finds AI is now the leading board skill gap: '71% of directors say their boards need to strengthen their AI skills to provide more effective oversight—more than twice the next-highest response,' while only 40% say their boards currently use AI in their oversight roles. The survey finds rising expectations on boards as AI, cyber risk, and business transformation converge, with 81% of directors seeing an opportunity to more effectively challenge management on strategy, and many asking management for better information to make those judgments. It continues PwC's annual governance benchmark and is the firm's clearest signal that AI literacy has displaced other expertise as the boards' dominant stated need.
Why it matters
For CEOs and board chairs, the survey is an externally benchmarked, quantified argument that AI oversight capability has become the boards' top self-identified weakness — a useful lever for board-education budgets, AI-governance committee formation, and director-recruitment criteria.
Action needed
Compare your board's AI skills and oversight practices against the 71%/40% gap; commission a board AI-literacy review and add AI capability to board-succession and education plans.