Businesses are getting more confident about AI

• PagerDuty study claims 73% of UK businesses have “fully” integrated GenAI already
• 55% plan to adopt agentic AI at an “accelerated pace”, report says
• Early adopters are more likely to continue

Three in four (73%) UK businesses have “fully” integrated generative AI tools into their companies as they move from experimentation to implementation, putting the nation ahead of the global average of 63%.

New research from PagerDuty claims Australia also leads the way with 69% full integration, while Japan and its infamously aging population lags at just 44%.

Real-world use cases are also evolving, with 94% of companies now expecting to adopt agentic AI faster than generative AI as they seek the productivity-enhancing benefits of autonomy.

UK businesses are leading on the AI front

Although the figures suggest that interest in agentic AI could be higher, it’s also plausible that companies have learned from their slow and cautious approach to AI in its early stages.

In 2023, a year after ChatGPT had launched in public preview, only 33% of businesses reported at least one business function for GenAI. A year later, in July 2024, this had risen to 71%.

More than half (55%) of the 1,000 IT and business executives surveyed by PagerDuty confirmed they will integrate AI agents “at an accelerated pace.”

Half (51%) have already deployed AI agents, with 35% planning to do so within the next two years. Only 3% have no definitive timelines for agentic AI deployment.

Interestingly, the study reveals that 44% were concerned about their rushed GenAI adoption – a mistake leaders hope not to make again.

Leaders have also learned to assess cost control (40%), improve employee training (37%) and strengthen data infrastructure (37%) as they deepen their relationships with artificial intelligence.

“Companies that successfully integrate agentic AI into their operations can expect increased efficiency gains by automating complexity and accelerating decision-making,” PagerDuty CIO Eric Johnson summarized.

Looking ahead, the report suggests that 71% of companies that have fully implemented generative AI are “far more likely” to have already deployed agentic AI, demonstrating the power of making that first move.

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