96% of Firms Deploy AI Agents Amid Sprawl Fears

A new survey of global IT leaders reveals that 96 percent of organizations are already deploying AI agents in some form, with 97 percent actively developing strategies for broader systemwide implementation. However, 94 percent express worries over AI sprawl, which is heightening operational complexity, technical debt, and security vulnerabilities.

The findings, drawn from responses by 1,900 executives across multiple regions, highlight a rapid transition from AI experimentation to practical business applications. Adoption levels differ by location: organizations in Australia, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States report intermediate maturity, while those in France lag behind. Financial services and technology sectors lead in production deployments, where agents are proving most effective in IT and software development. There, 31 percent of respondents say AI is fully integrated into development practices, and 42 percent use it in targeted lifecycle phases. As value becomes evident, 52 percent of companies have adopted a human-on-the-loop oversight model, enabling agents to function with minimal direct supervision while retaining human control.