Global CIOs rush to invest in AI agents, study finds

Sixty percent of global Chief Information Officers plan to invest in AI agents within the next 12 months, according to Logicalis's latest annual report, based on a survey of 1,000 CIOs.

The study points to rapid movement towards agentic AI, even as many technology leaders still see weaknesses in oversight, training and supplier scrutiny. More than half of respondents, 53%, said generative and agentic AI would disrupt existing business models within two years.

That expected pace of change is matched by concern over whether internal controls are keeping up. Two-thirds of CIOs, 66%, said employees in their organisations were not adequately trained in the ethical and responsible use of AI.

Another 66% said they were not fully confident their organisation's AI governance model could keep pace with the speed of deployment. Among CIOs in Ireland, the UK and the Channel Islands, concern was higher, at 79%.

The findings also suggest uncertainty among senior technology leaders about the suppliers behind the tools they are adopting. Only 37% said they had enough knowledge to assess accurately the reliability and stability of their AI providers.

One in seven respondents, 14%, said their organisation had not carried out thorough due diligence on all of its AI providers. This suggests some businesses may be moving from pilot projects to wider AI use without the level of review typically expected in other technology procurement processes.

Governance pressure

Logicalis linked the survey results to broader market research from International Data Corporation, which projected that more than one billion AI agents would be operational globally by 2029. IDC said those systems would collectively process more than 217 billion actions a day.

IDC also found that the main challenge for businesses was shifting from adoption to governance as AI moved further into day-to-day operations. In its research, 48% of organisations cited a lack of security and governance as the leading concern around enterprise AI.

The Logicalis survey was conducted by Vanson Bourne between November 2025 and January 2026. It covered organisations with between 250 and 5,000 employees, and almost all respondents were involved in AI implementation decisions.

The report marks the 12th consecutive year Logicalis has carried out its CIO study. The company operates in 30 territories and reported annualised revenue of USD $1.7 billion.

Market shift

The research suggests AI spending is shifting from experimental deployments to more embedded operational use. As businesses move beyond using AI as an efficiency tool, CIOs increasingly expect it to alter products, services and operating models.

That creates tension for technology leaders. On one side is pressure to adopt AI systems quickly as rivals experiment with automation and digital agents; on the other is the need to put in place data governance, permissions, audit trails and internal rules for use.

Mairead Malone, Ireland Country Lead at Logicalis UK&I, said the survey showed organisations entering a different stage of adoption.

"Our CIO research shows organisations are entering a new phase of AI adoption, where the conversation has shifted from possibility to practical implementation. IDC's findings also reinforce what we are seeing in the Irish market. As agentic AI becomes embedded across business operations, organisations need to ensure governance evolves alongside deployment. Data governance sits at the centre of secure and scalable AI, extending across identity, permissions, auditability and tool usage. Organisations that establish these foundations will be best positioned to reduce risk while unlocking long-term value from AI investments," Malone said.