Insights from the KPMG Q4 AI Pulse Survey reveal business leader priorities that will drive agents into the enterprise in 2026, led by continued investment in technology and critical foundations, from the workforce and cybersecurity.
It finds that as enterprises professionalise and prepare to scale agents, the top-of-mind question for every leader is the size, shape and skills of their future workforce. The differentiator is no longer basic adoption, but effective human-agent teaming, grounded in ethical practices and measurable outcomes. The research also indicates how entry-level hiring is being reimagined: 64% or organisations have already altered their approach due to AI agents’ influence, up from 18% last quarter, reflecting the need for new competencies in data, automation and responsible AI.
