TLDR: A recent study by OutSystems reveals that a vast majority of software executives, 93%, are planning to integrate custom AI agents into their operations. This trend signifies a profound transformation in software development and workforce dynamics, with agentic AI poised to automate large-scale processes, enhance customer experiences, and overcome data silos, ultimately leading to increased productivity and innovation across organizations.
In today’s fast-evolving business landscape, IT leaders are under immense pressure to deliver measurable business value while navigating constrained resources and aligning technology investments with long-term strategic goals. Traditional technological approaches often exacerbate challenges such as fragmented tools and the limited ability to leverage data siloed across organizations. However, the advent of agentic AI is providing a powerful solution to these persistent issues.
New research from OutSystems, a leading AI-powered low-code development platform, conducted in collaboration with CIO Dive and KPMG, highlights a significant industry shift. The study, which surveyed 550 global software executives, indicates an increasing prioritization of agentic AI, with a striking 93% of organizations either already developing or planning to develop their own custom AI agents. This widespread adoption underscores a fundamental transformation in how businesses approach software development and operational efficiency.
Woodson Martin, CEO of OutSystems, emphasized this paradigm shift, stating, ‘The software development lifecycle is undergoing a significant transformation as organizations increase AI investments to maintain their competitive edge.’ He further elaborated on the future role of AI agents, envisioning them as ‘highly specialized teams [that] will continuously monitor business needs, identify opportunities, and proactively refine software solutions.’ This evolution is expected to empower developers and business leaders to assume more creative roles and concentrate on strategic priorities, fostering innovation and collaboration between human expertise and advanced technology.
The OutSystems report details several measurable impacts of AI adoption. Over two-thirds of respondents reported increased developer productivity, alongside improved software quality characterized by fewer bugs. Furthermore, 62% of executives noted improved scalability of development efforts, and 60% pointed to significant gains in enhanced testing and quality assurance (QA) efficiency. These advancements, catalyzed by AI, extend beyond mere efficiency gains, enabling developers to transition from repetitive tasks to crafting unique solutions in partnership with business leaders, thereby solving more complex user challenges and fostering innovative agility and scalability.
The study also forecasts a substantial workforce transformation over the next 24 months due to the rise of agentic AI. A majority of software executives (69%) anticipate the introduction of new, more specialized roles, including oversight, governance, prompt engineering, agent architect, and agent orchestration, to accommodate AI’s evolving role within organizations. Concurrently, 63% of respondents believe that AI will necessitate substantial upskilling or reskilling within existing development teams.
Key drivers for AI adoption, cited by over half of the respondents, include improving the customer experience (56%), automating routine and repetitive development tasks (55%), expediting software development timelines (54%), and accelerating digital transformation (53%).
Despite the immense potential, the broader adoption of AI-powered automation introduces new challenges. More than three out of five software executives (64%) cite governance, security, and compliance risks as significant concerns. Similarly, 64% express worries over the transparency and reliability of AI-generated decisions. The rapid proliferation of AI tools also contributes to increasing technical debt and AI sprawl, identified as critical risks by 44% of software executives. Addressing these scaling challenges responsibly will be crucial for realizing AI’s full potential.
Michael Harper, Managing Director at KPMG LLP, commented on the current state of AI implementation, observing, ‘A lot of organizations started with pilots a year ago or even prior to that, but now they’re starting to see real efficiency gains in areas like code generation and application testing.’ He added that these early successes are building confidence and encouraging organizations to further integrate these tools.
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OutSystems positions itself at the forefront of this transformation, offering an AI-powered low-code development platform designed to help companies develop, deploy, and maintain mission-critical applications. The platform aims to deliver production software up to 10 times faster than traditional development, enabling organizations to leverage generative AI for instantaneous software delivery, faster adaptation to changing requirements, and reduced technical debt through a future-proof platform.
