Scaling the agentic enterprise with confidence" reveals for the first time, innovation, not efficiency, as the primary driver of digital investment, signaling a move from cost-focused optimization toward growth.
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND / ACCESS Newswire / June 23, 2026 / New research released today by Akkodis, a global leader in digital engineering consulting and part of the Adecco Group, shows that CTO confidence in scaling AI is declining, falling to 48% in 2026 from 82% in 2024 - even as AI adoption accelerates and enterprises face growing pressure to turn ambition into execution at scale.
The third edition of Akkodis' What CTOs Think report, What CTOs Think 2026: Scaling the agentic enterprise with confidence, features insights from 500 Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) as part of the Adecco Group's Business Leaders 2026 research of 2,000 C-suite executives, The human premium: Leadership beyond the algorithm. It shows that while AI investment continues to grow, organizations are constrained less by access to technology than by the complexity of integrating AI across enterprise systems, workflows and decision-making.
Agentic AI emerges as a defining enterprise trend
The research identifies agentic AI - systems capable of planning, decision-making and executing tasks - as the most impactful technology trend shaping organizations in 2026, cited by 40% of CTOs as a top driver of impact. This shift marks a transition from AI as a tool that supports work to one that actively participates in execution - introducing new requirements for governance, accountability and operating model design.
However, despite growing adoption, most organizations have yet to establish the structures needed to scale these systems effectively. More than half of CTOs (57%) report using AI to determine which tasks are best suited to humans versus machines, yet clarity around task allocation continues to limit progress.
Why organizations struggle to scale AI
The findings point to a clear shift: the challenge is no longer deploying AI, it is integrating it into how the enterprise operates. As organizations move beyond pilot programs, execution complexity increases across leadership alignment, governance and workforce trust:
Only 44% of CTOs believe leadership teams have sufficient AI understanding
Just 46% report established frameworks for responsible AI
Only 36% express satisfaction with workforce trust levels
Persistent barriers cited by CTOs continue to limit progress:
Lack of in-house technology skills (32%)
Uncertainty around return on investment (31%)
Lack of urgency at the business level (27%)
Together, these findings suggest that scaling AI is increasingly an operational challenge, not a technology constraint, requiring organizations to redesign how systems, processes and decision-making work together.
Digital transformation shifts from efficiency to innovation
The report also highlights a fundamental shift in how organizations define the value of digital transformation. For the first time, CTOs cite innovation, not efficiency, as the primary driver of digital investment, signaling a move from cost-focused optimization toward growth, differentiation and new business models.
As AI capabilities mature, the marginal gains from efficiency are diminishing, increasing the importance of innovation as a source of competitive advantage. While the shift is global, priorities vary by industry - from workforce development in aerospace to innovation acceleration in life sciences and resilience in energy - underscoring the need for sector-specific approaches to scaling AI.
AI is reshaping work, not eliminating it
Rather than driving widespread job loss, AI is fundamentally changing how work is structured at the level of skills and tasks:
50% of CTOs report changes in required skills
49% report shifts in day-to-day activities
Only 21% report workforce reduction due to AI
This reinforces the need for organizations to redesign workflows and responsibilities to support a hybrid human-AI workforce.
"What we're seeing now is not a slowdown in AI adoption, but a moment of realism," said Jo Debecker, President & CEO of Akkodis. "Organizations are moving beyond experimentation and encountering the reality of scaling AI across complex environments. The challenge is no longer deploying AI, it's integrating it into how work gets done. The companies making progress are those redesigning their operating models, aligning technology, human expertise and governance to deliver consistent results."
From pilots to orchestration: Scaling AI requires a new operating model
The report identifies three emerging organizational approaches:
Task Automators - using AI primarily for efficiency
Pilot Operators - experimenting with AI but struggling to scale
Enterprise Orchestrators - embedding AI into workflows and decision-making
Organizations that succeed are those that move beyond isolated pilots to orchestrate AI across systems, processes, and teams, integrating technology with human expertise to deliver measurable outcomes.
Access the full report here.
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