• EY survey reveals top managers’ concerns about cybersecurity and data protection
• Nine out of ten decision-makers in US companies see obstacles to the introduction of AI agents.

This is shown by the latest EY U.S. AI Pulse Survey (https://www.ey.com/en_us/insights/emerging-technologies/pulse-ai-survey) conducted by the auditors at Ernst & Young (https://www.ey.com/). Top managers from companies in 500 industries took part in the survey.

Independent action

AI agents are software programmes that perform tasks independently to achieve defined goals. Unlike software programmes or bots, which are based on predefined rules, they can act independently, learn and adapt to changing situations. They are able to gather information from their environment, make their own decisions and take action to achieve their goals.

The main obstacles to the introduction of AI include decision-makers’ concerns about cyber security, data protection, lack of regulations and gaps in company policy. On average, respondents said that around 60 percent of executives in their industry and more than half in their own company do not recognise the benefits of this technology for their businesses.

Fear of job losses

The majority of executives are also concerned about employee acceptance: more than 60 percent believe that fear of being replaced by AI agents will hinder its adoption. To counteract this, 64 percent of respondents expect more training in this area next year.

Many companies are turning to AI to increase productivity and promote growth. ‘Classic AI, generative AI, is what most companies are focusing on today, and the good news is that they are getting a good return on their investment,’ Traci Gusher, AI and Data Leader at EY Americas, told tech news portal CIO Dive. According to the EY survey, 97 percent of executives who invest in AI have seen a positive ROI.

While the introduction of AI agents and their ROI are much newer to executives, EY analysts believe that companies that are now engaging with agent-based AI will gain a competitive advantage. ‘There are various reasons for the hesitation in adopting AI agents,’ Gusher sums up, ‘which point to business disruption and other risks or obstacles.’ She is certain, however, that caution is not the right approach.