Budget is hardly an obstacle to AI automation anymore. Only 15% of IT decision-makers see costs as a bottleneck. AI accountability and security are the real challenges, while organizations plan to further scale up the number of AI agents in the coming year (43%).
This is according to Jitterbit’s research. Security and compliance are top priorities for 39% of IT leaders, and AI accountability for 47%. Meanwhile, 78% of AI automation projects are already delivering moderate to high value. Only 2.5% report a negative result or negative ROI.
“The data is clear: the age of the ‘AI pilot’ is over, and the era of the ‘Agentic Enterprise’ has begun,” said Jitterbit President & CEO Bill Conner. “Business leaders have moved past budget concerns and are now focused on the strategic imperative of safely and successfully deploying AI at scale.”
Organizations run an average of 28 autonomous AI agents. Within 12 months, they want to scale up to 40 agents, an increase of 43%. For companies with revenues between £100 million and £499 million, that number rises from 31 to 49 agents. Organizations above £500 million are even aiming for an average of 72 new agents, an increase of 48%.
Accountability as a new selection criterion
Accountability is the most important factor in selecting AI tools. This concept encompasses security, auditability, traceability, and guardrails. For 47% of companies, this is the decisive criterion; in the software and tech sector, this rises to 61%.
The primary driver of the AI automation strategy over the next 12 months is to accelerate time-to-market for new products and services, according to 38% of respondents. This surpasses customer experience (35%) and technical debt reduction (26%).