News
A new wave of AI-driven business transformation is emerging, with a select group of "agentic AI early adopters" already outpacing competitors by embedding autonomous AI agents into core operations, according to Google.
Google Cloud’s second-annual ROI of AI Study, released this week, reveals that these organisations — representing 13% of surveyed executives — are allocating at least half their AI budgets to agentic systems and reporting significantly higher returns across key functions.
The study, conducted with 3,466 senior leaders across 24 countries, found that 88% of early adopters see measurable Return On Investment (ROI) from generative AI in at least one use case, compared to a 74% average.
Marketing effectiveness (41% vs. 33% industry average), security operations (40% vs. 30%), and customer experience (43% vs. 36%) emerged as top-performing areas. Over half (52%) of all executives now deploy AI agents, with 39% running more than ten concurrently.
"The conversation has moved from 'if' to 'how fast,'" said Oliver Parker, VP of Global Generative AI Go-To-Market at Google Cloud. "Early adopters aren’t just automating tasks — they’re redesigning processes, securing dedicated budgets, and setting a template for scalable ROI."
The data aligns with broader trends: 74% of organisations achieve ROI within a year, while 53% of revenue-gaining firms report 6-10% growth from generative AI, a figure unchanged since 2024.
Data Security Challenges Persist
Yet challenges persist. As AI investment climbs — 77% of executives polled increased spending this year — privacy and security have overtaken cost as the top concern when selecting LLM providers.
"Foundational data security and integration are now the biggest hurdles," Parker added, urging firms to adopt modern governance frameworks.
Priorities by Region and Industry
Regional priorities vary: European firms prioritise AI-driven tech support, while JAPAC focuses on customer service and Latin America on marketing. Industry-specific applications, from fraud detection in finance to quality control in retail, underscore agentic AI’s versatility.
"This isn’t just efficiency — it’s embedding intelligence into the business," said Carrie Tharp, VP of Strategic Industries at Google Cloud. For marketers, the message is clear: agentic AI’s competitive edge lies in strategic deployment, not just adoption.