AI Agents Projected to Generate $450 Billion by 2028, But Trust and Infrastructure Challenges Remain

Agentic AI is rapidly emerging as a transformative technology in the business world, with the potential to generate $450 billion in economic value through revenue growth and cost savings across 14 surveyed countries by 2028, according to a new report from the Capgemini Research Institute. The report, titled "The Rise of Agentic AI: How Trust is the Key to Human-AI Collaboration," draws insights from a survey of 1,500 senior executives across various sectors, including automotive, financial services, life sciences, telecom, and retail. Key Findings Economic Impact: By 2028, AI agents could contribute up to $450 billion in economic value. Organizations that scale the implementation of AI agents within the next three years are projected to see an average gain of $382 million (2.5% of annual revenue), while others may see $76 million (0.5% of annual revenue). The Capgemini report anticipates collective gains of $19 billion over the next 12 months, increasing to $92 billion by the third year. Accelerating Adoption, Low Maturity: Only 2% of organizations have deployed AI agents at scale, 12% at partial scale, and 23% have launched pilot projects. Despite the growing interest, fewer than one in five organizations report high maturity in the data and technology infrastructure needed for agentic AI. About 61% are still in the exploration phase, and 15% of business processes are expected to reach semi- or full autonomy within the next 12 months. Declining Trust in Full Autonomy: Trust in fully autonomous AI agents has dropped from 43% to 27% in just one year. Ethical concerns, lack of transparency, and limited understanding of AI capabilities are significant barriers. These concerns include data privacy, algorithmic bias, and the opaque nature of AI decision-making. Blended Teams as the Future: By 2028, 38% of organizations expect AI agents to be integrated as team members within human teams, fostering a collaborative approach that enhances productivity and innovation. Within three years, AI agents are anticipated to participate in human-supervised teams, where they are treated as full team members rather than mere tools. Increasing Capabilities and Declining Costs: AI agents are gaining advanced reasoning abilities, making them capable of breaking down complex tasks, navigating potential solutions, and presenting successful outcomes. The cost of developing and operating these agents is also decreasing, which further accelerates their adoption. Business Confidence and Roadmaps Competitive Advantage: Ninety-three percent of executives believe that organizations scaling AI agents within the next 12 months will gain a competitive edge. Rapid Deployment Trajectory: Similar to generative AI, AI agents are being adopted quickly. Thirty-one percent of organizations are preparing for experimentation or deployment within the next six to 12 months. Strategy and Leadership: Sixteen percent of organizations have developed a detailed strategy and roadmap for implementing agentic AI. However, 39% lack a formal strategy, relying instead on multiple functional initiatives that could be scaled up. Dedicated AI leadership is a critical component, with 26% appointing new leaders specifically for AI agents and 59% delegating this role to existing AI or gen AI leadership. Pricing Models: Over half of organizations prefer consumption-based pricing (55%) for AI models within AI agents, followed by platform-based (43%) and license-based (37%) models. Function-Specific Adoption Customer-Facing Roles: Customer services and support, IT, and sales are the functions where executives expect AI agents to be most active, performing at least one process or sub-process daily within the next 12 months. These roles often involve high volumes of interaction and require quick, contextually relevant responses. Long-Term Autonomy Incremental Autonomy: By 2028, 58% of business functions are expected to have AI agents handling at least one process or sub-process daily. Over the next 12 months, AI agents with Level 3 autonomy or higher will manage 15% of processes and subprocesses, increasing to 25% within the next one to three years. Fully autonomous AI agents (Level 5) are expected to handle around 4% of business processes within three years. Decision-Making Roles: Capgemini predicts that AI agents will make 6% of day-to-day decisions in the next year, increasing to 8% over the next one to three years. This shift underscores the growing acceptance of AI in decision-making processes. Barriers to Trust and Adoption Low Trust in Full Autonomy: The decline in trust extends beyond AI agents, affecting AI and generative AI as a whole. Only 22% of executives trust fully autonomous AI agents for enterprise applications, a significant drop from 43% in 2024. Half of the organizations lack sufficient knowledge of AI agents' capabilities, contributing to this trust deficit. Maturity Gaps: Eighty-two percent of organizations report low to medium maturity in essential areas like computing, integration, orchestration, fine-tuning, and cybersecurity, hindering effective AI agent deployment. Industry Insider Evaluation The Capgemini report highlights the immense potential of AI agents but also emphasizes the critical need for trust and ethical considerations. Industry experts agree that the winners in the next wave of AI will not merely be those deploying more tools but those who strategically integrate AI into their workflows, reskill their workforces, and address ethical issues proactively. AI agents represent a significant shift in how businesses operate, moving towards a hybrid workforce model that leverages both human and digital labor to optimize performance and stability. The successful implementation of AI agents will require a comprehensive approach, addressing both technological and human challenges. Company Profile Capgemini is a global consulting firm with a strong focus on technology and innovation. Their research provides valuable insights into emerging trends and offers practical guidance for businesses navigating the complexities of AI adoption. The firm's emphasis on trust and ethical practices in AI aligns with a broader industry trend, recognizing that these factors are crucial for sustainable and responsible AI integration.