Most Government Leaders Say They're Ahead of Private Sector on AI Adoption
Eighty-two percent of government organizations have adopted agentic AI-software that can reason and act without human intervention-according to research by IDC for Salesforce released last week. Sixty percent of government leaders surveyed believe they are significantly or somewhat ahead of the private sector in deploying this technology.
The findings suggest government is moving faster than many expected. Seventy-one percent of surveyed organizations plan to increase their use of agentic AI in the next year, and 83% said AI agents are key to transforming their organizational structure and operations.
How Government Sees AI's Impact
Government leaders expect agentic AI to rival or exceed the impact of previous technological shifts. More than half said AI will have a greater impact than the internet and cloud computing. Fifty-one percent said it will outpace the PC, and 46% said it will be more transformative than the smartphone.
Ninety-four percent believe AI agents will fundamentally change how work gets done. Eighty-three percent expect the technology to transform service delivery and operating models.
Real-World Deployments Already Underway
Some governments are moving quickly. The city of Kyle, Texas launched "Agent Kyle" last year to handle 311 customer service calls. Other agencies have deployed AI agents to support caseworkers managing public benefits, freeing staff from routine administrative work.
James McClain, acting chief technology officer for the All of Us program at the National Institutes of Health, said government may have an advantage over the private sector in scaling agentic AI. Government agencies deal with a narrower set of use cases-data automation, process automation, customer support-that cut across departments and can be shared.
"The private sector has got a million different things they have to deliver on," McClain said during a Salesforce briefing in Washington, D.C. "We can gain some acceleration because we're all working on a suite of commonalities of use cases."
Workforce Transformation Expected
Government leaders anticipate significant changes to staffing and roles. Eighty-nine percent believe humans will work side-by-side with AI agents by 2030. Seventy-four percent expect most human employees to have an AI agent reporting to them within five years.
Majorities said agentic AI will transform organizational structure (83%) and create entirely new teams and departments (74%). Fifty-nine percent said it will increase the size of certain teams, while 57% believe it will increase the need for leadership positions.
Ninety-one percent expect around three-quarters of their workforce to move into brand new roles. Ninety-two percent anticipate a similar proportion of jobs will be fundamentally transformed.
Leadership Buy-In Critical for Success
For agencies to realize the full potential of agentic AI, leaders must treat it as a core competency, not a one-off project, according to Mia Jordan, Salesforce's global go-to-market AI executive and industry advisor.
Government historically deploys new technology narrowly-within a single grant program or benefit initiative-leaving the rest of the organization excluded. Jordan said that approach limits value. Broad adoption across departments and agencies is needed to drive meaningful change.
For government professionals, understanding agentic AI and its implications is becoming essential. Learn more about AI for Government and AI Agents & Automation to stay current on these developments.
Your membership also unlocks:
