TLDR: A new report from the Capgemini Research Institute reveals that agentic AI is poised to generate up to $450 billion in economic value by 2028. However, widespread adoption is hindered by declining trust in fully autonomous AI and a lack of organizational readiness. The report emphasizes that human oversight and robust human-AI collaboration are critical to realizing this potential, with executives increasingly recognizing the benefits of blended human-agent teams.
Paris, France – July 16, 2025 – The Capgemini Research Institute has released its latest report, ‘Rise of agentic AI: How trust is the key to human-AI collaboration,’ highlighting the transformative power of AI agents in business while underscoring the critical role of trust and human involvement in their successful deployment. The report, based on a survey of 1,500 senior executives across 14 countries, projects that agentic AI could unlock up to $450 billion in economic value by 2028 through a combination of revenue gains and cost savings.
Despite this significant economic promise, the path to widespread adoption and scaled deployment remains challenging. Currently, only 2% of organizations have fully scaled their agentic AI initiatives, with 12% at partial scale, 23% running pilots, and a majority (61%) still in the exploration or planning phases. This slow progress contrasts sharply with executive ambition, as nearly all (93%) business leaders believe that scaling AI agents within the next 12 months will provide a crucial competitive edge. Yet, nearly half of organizations lack a clear strategy for implementing these advanced AI systems.
A key finding of the report is a notable decline in trust in fully autonomous AI agents, which has dropped from 43% to 27% over the past year. This erosion of confidence is attributed to concerns around privacy, ethical implications, a lack of transparency, and a limited understanding of agentic capabilities. Nearly two in five executives believe the risks of implementing AI agents may outweigh the benefits.
However, the report strongly advocates for human-AI collaboration as the future. Organizations are discovering that AI agents deliver the greatest impact when humans remain actively involved. Approximately three-quarters of executives believe the benefits of human oversight outweigh the costs, and a remarkable 90% view human involvement in AI-driven workflows as either positive or cost-neutral. Within the next 12 months, over 60% of organizations anticipate forming human-agent teams where AI agents either act as subordinates or enhance human capabilities. By 2028, 38% of organizations expect AI agents to be integrated as full team members within human-supervised teams, making blended teams the new norm for driving productivity and innovation. Effective human-agent collaboration is projected to increase human engagement in high-value tasks by 65%.
Also Read:
- Generative AI Momentum Defies Economic Headwinds, Driving Significant Business Investment and Transformation
- Software Executives Prioritize Custom AI Agent Development: OutSystems Study Reveals 93% Adoption Trend
Challenges extend beyond trust to foundational readiness. Fewer than one in five organizations report high maturity in their data and technology infrastructure necessary for implementing agentic AI, with over 80% lacking mature AI infrastructure. To fully unlock the potential of AI agents, the report recommends that organizations redesign processes and reimagine business models, transform workforce structures to support human-agent collaboration, balance autonomy with human oversight to build trust, and strengthen their data and technology foundations for scalability.
