AI Shifts from Pilots to Core Business Operations
New research from Ernst & Young (EY) highlights a major shift: AI is moving beyond pilot projects to become a core part of business operations. More than half of AI deployments are expected to function autonomously within companies over the next two years, according to a survey of over 500 tech executives.
While generative AI has grabbed headlines, agentic AI—systems that act autonomously or semi-autonomously to meet goals—is gaining momentum. Interest in agentic AI surged in late 2024, as seen in Google Trends data, signaling growing executive attention.
The EY survey found that 48% of respondents have already adopted or fully deployed AI agents. Half of these leaders expect over 50% of their AI deployments to be autonomous within the next 24 months. This shift is supported by rising investment: 92% plan to increase AI budgets, with 43% allocating more than half of those funds specifically to agentic AI.
Why Companies Are Betting on Agentic AI
- Stay Competitive: 69% of executives see agentic AI as essential for maintaining their edge.
- Customer Support: 59% use AI agents to better serve clients.
- Internal Strategy: 59% leverage agentic AI to optimize internal workflows.
Tech companies lead adoption but often overestimate their AI maturity compared to competitors. Accurate benchmarking and an external perspective remain crucial, as noted by experts at EY.
Structural Changes Needed to Leverage Agentic AI
Agentic AI is reshaping enterprise architectures beyond just generative AI hype. Advances in classical AI and machine learning form a flexible framework that businesses can tailor to deliver results across platforms.
These autonomous agents do more than boost productivity—they transform customer interactions and internal operations. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff highlights this shift, pointing out how AI is integrated into Salesforce’s CRM through the Einstein 1 Platform and tools like Agentforce. These AI assistants automate communications, summarize cases, and manage records using company data.
For companies aiming to stay ahead, the focus must move from isolated generative AI tools to deeply integrated AI systems. Agentic architectures, where autonomous agents collaborate to manage complex workflows, are becoming critical, according to a report by Accenture.
Key points from the Accenture report:
- True AI-driven enterprise reinvention requires structural change, strong leadership, and a solid data foundation.
- Many companies struggle with unstructured data, outdated IT, and inadequate employee training.
- Only 8% of companies—called “front-runners”—have scaled AI at the enterprise level.
- Front-runners with revenues over $10 billion grew 7% faster, and delivered shareholder returns 6% higher than peers.
- Scaled AI deployments are expected to reduce costs by 11% and increase productivity by 13% within 18 months.
CEOs Raise Concerns Over AI Savviness
Despite AI’s growing importance, a Gartner study shows only 44% of CIOs are considered “AI-savvy” by their CEOs. This gap is striking since 77% of CEOs see AI as ushering in a new business era.
David Furlonger from Gartner warned that without rapid improvement in AI knowledge across executive teams, companies risk falling behind competitively.
CEOs also perceive other key leaders, like CISOs and CDOs, as lacking AI expertise. The main barriers to AI deployment are insufficient skilled talent and difficulty measuring AI’s value.
Jennifer Carter, a principal analyst at Gartner, emphasizes that success depends not just on hiring new talent but on upskilling existing employees to integrate AI into daily work.
According to EY, 84% of tech leaders expect to hire in the next six months due to AI adoption. Roles in high demand include AI-experienced Product Managers, Data Engineers, MLOps specialists, and Forward Deployed Engineers.
Freelancers Fill the AI Skills Gap
Many companies are turning to freelancers to meet AI talent needs. Fiverr reports an 18,000% surge in searches for freelancers who can implement AI agents and a 641% increase in those who specialize in making AI-generated content sound more natural.
This trend shows businesses want to deploy autonomous “digital colleagues” for tasks like managing emails, scheduling, and customer interactions. However, human expertise remains vital to ensure AI outputs feel authentic and effective.
Final Thoughts for Executives
AI is no longer an experiment but a core part of business strategy. To succeed, executives must:
- Invest strategically in agentic AI and integrate it deeply into operations.
- Drive structural change around data, IT systems, and workforce skills.
- Improve AI literacy across the leadership team to close current gaps.
- Leverage external talent and freelancers to supplement internal AI capabilities.
Businesses that act decisively will see cost reductions, productivity gains, and stronger competitive positioning in the years ahead.
For those looking to build AI skills at all levels, resources like Complete AI Training offer tailored courses designed to support strategic adoption and operational success.
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