3380: EY Technology Pulse: The Shift From LLMs to Agentic AI in Enterprise Adoption

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Aug 11, 2025

Joining the discussion is Ken Englund, a Partner at EY, specializing in advising high-tech growth companies. Ken dives into the EY Technology Pulse poll, revealing that nearly half of tech leaders expect over 50% of their AI deployments to become fully autonomous in just two years. He highlights a surprising optimism about AI’s potential, despite initial job loss fears, as only 9% anticipate layoffs. Instead, companies focus on re-skilling staff and hiring AI talent, marking a shift from reliance on large language models to applied AI for real-world business workflows.

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INSIGHT

Rising Spend, Rising ROI Pressure

Ninety-two percent of tech leaders plan to increase AI budgets, creating internal pressure to show returns quickly.
Ken warns early wins are easy but the climb gets steeper, so firms should benchmark progress externally.

INSIGHT

From LLM Building To Applied Agents

Investment is shifting from building and tuning LLMs toward applying commercial models inside agentic systems.
Companies prioritize RAG integration and applied workflows over pure model research this year.

INSIGHT

Layoff Fears Are Falling

Only 9% of respondents expect layoffs in the next six months, down from 20% last year.
Ken says companies are blending human roles with automation instead of pursuing broad replacements.

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AI adoption in the tech sector has reached a tipping point, and the latest EY Technology Pulse poll offers a fascinating look at just how quickly things are moving. In this episode, I'm joined by Ken Englund, Partner at EY, to unpack the survey's findings and what they reveal about the next two years of AI in enterprise. Conducted with 500 senior tech executives from companies with more than 5,000 employees, the poll focuses on AI agents, autonomous deployments, and the shifting priorities that are shaping investment strategies.

Ken shares why half of the respondents expect more than 50% of their AI deployments to be fully autonomous within 24 months, and why optimism around AI's potential remains high. He also explains a notable shift away from last year's heavy focus on large language models toward applied AI and agentic systems designed to handle real-world business workflows. While 92% of tech leaders plan to increase AI spending in 2026, the investment isn't solely about technology—it's about competitiveness, customer experience, and strategic alignment.

One of the more surprising takeaways is the human side of the equation. Despite headlines predicting widespread job losses, only 9% of respondents anticipate layoffs in the next six months, down from 20% last year. Instead, companies are balancing upskilling existing staff with bringing in new AI talent, with roles emerging in areas like MLOps, AI product management, and forward-deployed engineering.

Ken and I also dive into the growing weight of governance, data privacy, and security. With autonomous agents becoming more embedded in core operations, boards, CFOs, and audit teams are taking a closer look at trust frameworks without wanting to slow innovation. The conversation highlights a critical inflection point: most companies are still in the "automating existing workflows" phase, but the real breakthroughs will come when AI enables entirely new business models.

This episode is a snapshot of a sector in rapid evolution—where enthusiasm is tempered by lessons learned, and where the road from pilot to production is still full of challenges. You can read the full EY Technology Pulse poll here.