Companies investing 3x more in AI tech than corresponding human talent, according to new study

Agentic AI is emerging as the next evolutionary leap in enterprise automation despite generative AI’s still-developing business impact. Accenture‘s extensive research involving 3,400 executives and 2,000 client projects reveals only 13% of current AI initiatives deliver significant business value. This talent and skills gap becomes even more critical as organizations race toward implementing AI agents—automated systems designed to perform specific tasks with increasing autonomy—requiring companies to develop specialized expertise in both AI technology and business applications.

The big picture: Organizations are significantly underinvesting in human talent needed to effectively implement AI, spending three times more on technology than on people.

• The talent shortage is particularly concerning given that 94% of workers express interest in learning about generative AI, yet only 5% of companies provide adequate training.
• Companies achieving enterprise-level value from generative AI are 2.9 times more likely to have established comprehensive talent roadmaps.

Key types of AI agents: Accenture identifies three distinct categories of autonomous AI systems that organizations need to understand and develop.

• Utility agents perform routine, high-frequency tasks that enhance operational efficiency, such as functions in autonomous vehicles or dynamic pricing systems.
• Super agents combine multiple functions and synthesize data to drive strategic workflows, like marketing agents that gather relevant data and execute campaign steps.
• Orchestrator agents oversee end-to-end processes by coordinating multiple specialized agents across different services, breaking down silos for seamless collaboration.

Why this matters: The progression toward agentic AI represents a fundamental shift that requires deeper human-machine partnerships and specialized talent development.

• Organizations must balance technological investment with strategic talent development to avoid falling behind in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
• The current focus on short-term technology acquisition without corresponding investment in human expertise risks limiting long-term value creation.

Where we go from here: Creating and effectively deploying AI agents will remain primarily a human-led endeavor for the foreseeable future.

• As AI cannot yet autonomously design and deploy agents, organizations must develop specialized teams with both technical AI expertise and business domain knowledge.
• This transition will take considerable time and investment, with success heavily dependent on organizations’ ability to cultivate specialized AI talent.