US moves first on agentic AI
But Europe may not be the AI leader for much longer. US organizations are already turning their focus to the next technological frontier: agentic AI. In the US, 57% of organizations have begun experimenting with agentic AI to augment traditional IT support, compared with 53% of European and 37% of APAC organizations.
Regulatory headwinds may be holding Europe back. The EU AI Act assigns different levels of risk to distinct AI technologies, and while the legislation does not explicitly refer to agentic AI, its ability to act with greater autonomy could give it a higher risk profile. Europe also has stricter data protection rules than the US, which could be delaying agentic AI adoption.
The survey findings also indicate that European organizations may be slightly more concerned about onboarding employees. One in five (20%) say they are committed to replacing support desk personnel with agentic AI but are worried about potential backlash from displaced employees or end users. Also, labor laws are stricter in Europe than in the US, which could further limit the ability of European organizations to reduce headcount when rolling out agentic solutions.
Whatever the reasons, if the US can get ahead on agentic AI implementation, it could lead the way through the next phase of technological transformation, with enhanced ROI from digital workplace services.
