A recent study by the IBM Institute for Business Value highlights a significant shift in how enterprises are approaching AI-enabled workflows. The “AI Projects to Profits” study, which surveyed 2,900 executives globally, indicates that businesses are moving from experimental phases to integrating AI into core business functions. Executives anticipate an increase in AI-enabled workflows from 3% today to 25% by the end of 2025.
Francesco Brenna, VP & Senior Partner of AI Integration Services at IBM Consulting, stated: “We see more clients looking at agentic AI as the key to help them move past incremental productivity gains and actually gain business value from AI, especially when applied in their core processes like supply chain and HR.”
The report outlines several benefits driving the adoption of agentic AI systems. Improved decision-making was identified as the top benefit by 69% of surveyed executives. Cost reduction through automation and competitive advantage were also cited as major benefits.
Despite these advantages, concerns remain about data security, trust issues, and skills shortages, with 49%, 46%, and 42% of respondents respectively identifying these as barriers to adoption.
Other findings show that AI investment has grown significantly, accounting for about 12% of IT spend in 2024. This is expected to rise to 20% by 2026. Additionally, there has been a notable decrease in organizations using an ad hoc approach to AI.
For further details on this study or related insights from IBM’s thought leadership think tank, visit www.ibm.com/ibv.
