A new global study released by Google Cloud has found that the adoption of AI agents is surging across industries, with 52% of executives indicating their organizations have already deployed these intelligent technologies to unlock greater business value. Conducted by the National Research Group, the second annual ROI of AI study surveyed 3,466 senior leaders in 24 countries, drawing a comprehensive picture of how generative AI and agentic platforms are driving year-over-year revenue growth and transformative change throughout the enterprise landscape.
The report spotlights a growing cohort of “agentic AI early adopters,” who are not only investing strategically in agents advanced large language models capable of independently planning, reasoning, and executing tasks but are also seeing considerably higher returns on their investment. Thirteen percent of respondents constitute this group, dedicating at least half of their future AI budgets to agentic projects and embedding agents deeply within operations. These leaders are reaping the benefits of generative AI across a broad range of applications: 88% report ROI in at least one use case (against a 74% average), and consistently outperform peers in areas such as customer service, marketing, cybersecurity, and software development.
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Most organizations now consider AI agents key drivers for growth and efficiency. Nearly four in ten companies deploying agents have launched more than ten such tools, signifying a rapid scaling of capabilities. In customer service and experience, 43% of early adopters report improved ROI, compared with the 36% industry average. Marketing effectiveness, security operations, and software development also benefit significantly, demonstrating the maturity and versatility of the technology.
The study reveals notable variations in agentic AI adoption and use cases by industry and region. Financial services rely on agents for fraud management and detection, retail and consumer goods focus on quality control, and telecommunications emphasize network configuration and automation. Regionally, European executives cite tech support as the top application, while leaders in Japan-Asia Pacific stress customer service, and Latin American respondents prioritize marketing.
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Financial gains attributed to generative AI remain robust and consistent: 74% of executives say their organizations achieve ROI within the first year of deployment, while 56% report overall business growth, with the majority seeing revenue increases of 6–10%. Productivity (70%), customer experience (63%), and business growth (56%) emerge as top drivers of value. Organizations increasingly accelerate the journey from AI concept to production 51% now deploy successful use cases within three to six months, up from 47% in the previous year.
The report also highlights evolving priorities, with privacy and data security now topping executive concerns as investment in generative AI intensifies. As 77% of organizations increase gen AI spending and nearly half reallocate budgets, attention shifts to robust governance, secure integration, and cost management laying the foundation for sustainable, enterprise-scale adoption.
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