3 days ago
Businesses Bet Big on Agentic AI Despite ROI Uncertainty
Agentic AI is software that can plan and complete tasks with limited human help.
Companies hope these systems will act like digital co-workers.
Many businesses believe using them quickly could help them compete.
Large companies are adopting the technology faster than small companies.
It is already being used in areas such as software development, marketing and information technology.
Indian businesses are interested but report shortages of expertise and other practical challenges.
Companies also find it difficult to measure how much money AI agents actually produce.
Even so, Indian companies expect significant financial returns from their investments over the next two years.
More than nine in 10 business leaders say scaling AI agents within a year could provide a competitive advantage.
Nearly 45% of companies have scaled or integrated AI agents, while about 34% are testing them.
Large companies are adopting agentic AI faster than smaller businesses, with technology leading industry use.
Indian companies face expertise, governance, data, technology, use-case and cost barriers to adoption.
Only 37% of professionals say AI has contributed to earnings, despite expectations of $14.4 million in average returns in India over two years.
- Who
- Businesses and business leaders, particularly large companies and Indian firms, are investing in agentic AI.
- What
- Companies are scaling, testing and integrating autonomous AI agents into business workflows while assessing their benefits and risks.
- Where
- The trend is global, with specific findings reported for India.
- When
- The cited McKinsey survey was published in August 2026; Indian companies expect returns over the following two years.
- Why
- Businesses want to automate complex tasks, reduce time and costs, improve efficiency and gain a competitive advantage.
Agentic AI Optimists
ROI and Readiness Skeptics
Business value
Agentic AI Optimists
Supporters say AI agents reduce task completion times, improve efficiency and could lower operating costs while creating a competitive edge.
ROI and Readiness Skeptics
Skeptics note that only 37% of professionals say AI has contributed to organisational earnings, and measurement of returns remains unclear.
Adoption pace
Agentic AI Optimists
Many companies are scaling or testing AI agents, and Indian firms expect substantial financial returns over the next two years.
ROI and Readiness Skeptics
Adoption is uneven, with smaller companies scaling much more slowly and organisations facing barriers involving expertise, governance, use cases, data, technology and costs.
Key facts
- Competitive expectation
- 93% of business leaders believe organisations scaling AI agents within a year will gain a critical competitive edge.
- Current adoption
- Nearly 45% of companies have scaled or integrated AI agents, while nearly 34% are testing them.
- Large-company adoption
- At least four in 10 organisations with annual revenue of $1 billion or more have deployed agentic AI.
- Leading use
- Software development had the highest reported large-scale use, at 31% among surveyed technology professionals.
- Indian expertise
- No respondent in a Deloitte survey of 200 Indian professionals reported very high agentic AI expertise, compared with 2.6% globally.
- Earnings impact
- Only 37% of professionals believe AI has contributed to their organisations' earnings.
- Expected Indian returns
- Indian companies expect average financial returns of $14.4 million from agentic AI investments over the next two years.
Sources
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