A new survey from Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) reveals a sharp rise in both confidence and investment around agentic AI among tech leaders. The April 2025 Technology Pulse Poll surveyed more than 500 technology executives, uncovering a widespread shift from experimentation to production-scale deployment. With 48% of respondents already adopting or fully deploying agentic AI and 92% planning to increase AI spending in the next year, the AI landscape is evolving rapidly. The findings also underscore growing pressure to demonstrate ROI and address increasing security concerns as AI capabilities scale.
1. Rapid Adoption of Agentic AI
- 48% of technology leaders are currently adopting or fully deploying agentic AI.
- 50% expect more than half of their AI deployments to be autonomous within two years.
- 81% of executives are optimistic about AI’s potential to achieve organizational goals in the next 12 months.
2. Investment Momentum Accelerates
- 92% of tech leaders plan to increase AI spending in the coming year—a 10% increase from March 2024.
- 58% believe their companies are ahead of competitors in AI investment.
- Despite strong internal sentiment, experts caution this may be perception over reality, given the early stage of the AI lifecycle.
3. Agentic AI Becomes a Strategic Priority
- 43% of AI budgets (among those increasing spend) are now allocated specifically to agentic AI.
- 69% of tech leaders are adopting agentic AI to stay competitive.
- 59% cite customer service and internal strategy as additional drivers for adoption.
4. Workforce Transformation: Upskilling and Hiring
- 84% of executives plan to hire AI-skilled talent in the next six months.
- Organizations are balancing upskilling (70%) with new hires (68%) to meet AI integration demands.
- A rebalancing of existing roles is underway as AI reshapes workforce needs.
5. Mounting Security and Privacy Concerns
- 73% have implemented AI security and privacy governance frameworks.
- However, 49% cite data privacy and security breaches as the top concern—a significant increase from 2024.
- The rise in concerns reflects the challenges of scaling AI responsibly in increasingly sensitive operational environments.
EY’s latest Technology Pulse Poll paints a vivid picture of an industry in transformation. With nearly half of technology leaders already adopting agentic AI and a surge in investment and hiring plans, it’s clear that autonomous systems are becoming integral to tech strategy. Yet, this momentum is paired with increasing urgency around ROI, competitive benchmarking, and security governance. As agentic AI moves from pilot to production, the tech sector’s ability to execute securely and at scale will define the next era of innovation—and success.
