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The PYMNTS Agentic Edge Index: How Leading Companies Put AI to Work
In The Agentic Edge Index, learn how:
- AI leaders combine early gains with a longer view. Some 64% describe their AI returns so far as very positive. Yet 66% expect full returns to take at least three years. Their experience offers a useful perspective for executives balancing immediate results with bigger plans.
- Spending plans could widen the gap between companies. Leaders spent an average of $14.5 million on new forms of AI over the prior year. Companies in the bottom third spent $9.1 million. Leaders are also more likely to plan substantial budget increases.
- Executives expect AI to expand what their teams can accomplish. Some 84% expect business growth without a matching increase in staff over the next three years. Meanwhile, 75% expect changes in employee roles and required skills.
The report gives executives a way to assess their own progress. The Index measures AI use across 75 activities in eight business areas. It considers how deeply AI supports daily work and how much authority agents have. It also gives more weight to activities with greater business impact.
The results show plenty of room to advance. Nine in 10 enterprises score less than 25 on the index’s 100-point scale. Even the companies furthest ahead haven’t reached widespread independent execution.
Getting there takes more than a technology purchase. Just more than half of executives say people, processes and company culture constrain AI more than the technology itself. Training and clear responsibilities deserve a place in the investment plan.
The research draws on 28 surveys of 1,687 executives at U.S. enterprises with at least $1 billion in annual revenue. The Index comparisons use responses from 366 AI decision-makers surveyed in 2026.
Download the report to benchmark your progress, explore leaders’ priorities and identify the next work your AI agents could take on.
