- Generative AI is already implemented, agent AI is in the pipelines of many organizations
- AI in decision-making is expected to increase, but humans remain a crucial part
- Investments in infrastructure and data will grow in 2026
New Capgemini research has quantified a trend we’ve talked about so many times before – that AI has progressed from experimentation to implementation. And it’s clear that agent AI is sure to prove more popular than generative AI.
Capgemini explained that around two in five (38%) have already operationalized generative AI, but three in five (60%) are now beginning to explore agentic AI use cases, attracted by the promise of greater autonomy and productivity.
Unsurprisingly, China leads the way, with nearly half of companies piloting or deploying AI agents, ahead of the US and Europe.
Where is AI headed next?
According to the data, cost savings aren’t the only way companies can measure ROI. Many are now looking at other metrics such as revenue growth, risk management, compliance, knowledge management, customer experience and personalization.
“We have now entered a new, more pragmatic and realistic era of AI-driven transformation, focused on long-term, enterprise-wide implementations to improve not just productivity, but revenue, customer experience, risk management, innovation or decision-making,” wrote Capgemini Chief Innovation Officer Pascal Brier.
Currently popular across emails and documents, meeting notes and research and analytics, Capgemini expects AI to find a home in strategic thinking as well. More than half of C-suite executives already use artificial intelligence to support their decision-making.
But the usual challenges remain, years after AI first hit shelves on a large scale. Only two fifths (41%) of CEOs, CFOs and COOs have above-average trust in AI for decisions, with legal risks, security risks and lack of explanatory power highlighted by skeptics.
Then there is the human touch. Only 1% believe that AI could autonomously make strategic decisions in the next one to three years, with AI broadly seen as a tool to help managers access information and data – not a replacement for human judgement.
Looking ahead, with AI spending rising to 5% of annual budgets (up from 3% in 2025), 2026 will see investment across infrastructure, data foundation, management and workforce upskilling.
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