Capgemini Chief Executive Aiman Ezzat said companies that want to deploy artificial intelligence at scale must first modernise decades-old technology systems. Speaking after Capgemini raised its 2026 revenue growth target on stronger bookings, Ezzat described a multi-year modernisation supercycle covering data platforms, applications and core infrastructure. He said the biggest obstacle to wider AI adoption is not access to models but legacy systems, fragmented data and complex technology estates built up over decades. "Every organization today wants to become agentic," Ezzat said, referring to AI systems that perform multi-step tasks. "But before they can become agentic, they must become AI-ready, and most are not." Generative AI tools can produce answers but often struggle to run business processes consistently when underlying systems remain disconnected. Client spending is becoming more targeted, with larger transformation programmes favoured over standalone pilots.
Capgemini Chief Executive Aiman Ezzat said companies that want to deploy artificial intelligence at scale must first modernise decades-old technology systems. Speaking after Capgemini raised its 2026 revenue growth target on stronger bookings, Ezzat described a multi-year modernisation supercycle covering data platforms, applications and core infrastructure. He said the biggest obstacle to wider AI adoption is not access to models but legacy systems, fragmented data and complex technology estates built up over decades. "Every organization today wants to become agentic," Ezzat said, referring to AI systems that perform multi-step tasks. "But before they can become agentic, they must become AI-ready, and most are not." Generative AI tools can produce answers but often struggle to run business processes consistently when underlying systems remain disconnected. Client spending is becoming more targeted, with larger transformation programmes favoured over standalone pilots.