Salesforce’s latest State of IT report shows that AI isn’t just being slotted into old workflows—it’s starting to redefine them. What stands out this year is the rising interest in agentic AI: systems built to act autonomously, without constant human supervision. The promise isn’t just efficiency—it’s a new framework for how companies can design, deploy, and trust AI.
The survey drew responses from over 2,000 IT decision-makers across the US, Ireland, the UK, Australia, Germany, Singapore, and the UAE, plus nearly 250 frontline US developers. The results paint a clear picture:
- 92% of developers see agentic AI as central to career growth.
- 96% expect it will reshape their daily work by automating time-consuming tasks and freeing up space for more strategic, rewarding projects.
For Irish professionals in particular, enthusiasm is strong:
- 86% say AI agents will soon be as indispensable as today’s core software tools.
- They point to oversight, optimisation, and code generation as the most immediate wins.
- Over half expect quality, creativity, and problem-solving in app development to rise as adoption spreads.
Globally, the benefits being cited go beyond developer experience: efficiency, sharper strategy, adaptability, and competitive edge are all in play. Unlike short-lived tech experiments of the past—think Google Glass—agentic AI is showing early signs of sticking power.
The open question is no longer whether AI agents are useful. It’s whether organisations can afford to see them as optional.