Ninety-two percent of technology executives expect managing artificial intelligence agents to become a critical workforce skill by 2031, according to a new KPMG report. The shift toward automated decision-making is already altering team structures, with digital assistants projected to make up more than a third of core technology departments within two years.
Changing team structures
A KPMG survey of 2,500 tech executives across 27 countries found that 88 percent of organizations are already building agentic AI into their systems. The integration of AI Agents & Automation will change team compositions, increasing the share of digital assistants in core technology teams to 36 percent by 2027 from 28 percent in 2025.
Zack Kass, a former OpenAI executive and current AI advisor, said this requires organizations to adopt smaller, flatter structures to remain agile. He added that the real value emerges when companies look beyond individual productivity to broader operational shifts.
Relying on external partners
To handle this transition, 90 percent of technology executives plan to build or strengthen partnerships to access outside expertise. This reliance on third-party vendors introduces security, governance, and data protection risks.
Noelle Russell, an AI solutions architect, recommended a targeted approach to building internal capabilities. "Pick the areas that you want to keep in-house for domain expertise, then choose trusted partners to fill in the gaps across your portfolio," Russell said. She added that selecting models requires strict discipline.
Umesh Sachdev, CEO of Uniphore, said the competitive advantage goes to the organizations that figure this out first. "Companies that learn to use AI and AI agents and all these architectures effectively are likely to leave their peer groups behind," Sachdev said. "Right now that is coming down to the leadership of companies and departments and teams."
Preparing for quantum computing
Beyond current AI tools, the report identified quantum computing and artificial general intelligence as long-term operational challenges. Security remains a primary focus, with 41 percent of executives concerned they are falling behind on quantum-related encryption threats.
Why this matters for executives and strategy
Building internal capabilities in AI for Executives & Strategy means treating AI management as a core operational competency rather than an IT side project. The data shows that workforce structures and vendor partnerships will require immediate redesign to handle a 36 percent digital assistant ratio by 2027. Leaders need to define which domain expertise stays in-house and which goes to third parties to mitigate security risks while maintaining a competitive edge.
Your membership also unlocks:
