AI investments soar, but agentic AI adoption lags, EY survey finds

Organizations across the United States are sharply increasing their spending on artificial intelligence, yet adoption of advanced “agentic” AI systems remains slow, according to the latest EY US AI Pulse Survey. The research highlights a widening gap between the enthusiasm for AI’s potential and the practical reality of integrating it into business operations.

The survey of 500 senior executives found that 21 percent of organizations have already committed $10 million or more to AI initiatives, up from 16 percent a year ago. More than a third expect to match or exceed that level of investment in the coming year. Despite this surge in spending, only 14 percent of respondents reported that agentic AI—systems capable of operating autonomously within set objectives—has been fully implemented in their workflows.

The findings show that AI investments are delivering returns for most companies, with 97 percent of those deploying the technology reporting positive ROI. Businesses allocating at least five percent of their budgets to AI tend to outperform their peers in technology upgrades, customer satisfaction and cybersecurity measures.

While large-scale deployment of agentic AI remains rare, a third of surveyed organizations have begun using it in targeted areas, such as customer support, IT efficiency and cybersecurity. Many executives see even greater potential ahead, with nearly three-quarters believing agentic AI could eventually manage entire business units. However, significant obstacles remain, including cybersecurity risks, data privacy concerns, a lack of clear regulations and the absence of internal governance policies.

Human oversight remains a priority for the vast majority of leaders, with 89 percent insisting it must be maintained in AI operations. To support responsible adoption, 64 percent of organizations plan to increase investment in employee training next year, aiming to address both governance concerns and fears of job displacement.

Dan Diasio, EY Global Consulting AI Leader, said the technology’s transformative potential is clear, but the challenge lies in implementation. “AI agents can revolutionize the way we work,” he noted, “but business executives are grappling with the tension between their awe of AI’s potential and the complexity of integrating it meaningfully into their organizations.”

The report concludes that while investment momentum is strong, the road to broad and effective adoption of agentic AI will depend on building trust, ensuring ethical oversight and embedding the technology into processes in ways that deliver measurable business value.