CIOs are set to play a pivotal role in enterprises striving to transform themselves by leveraging the power of agentic AI.
In fact, according to their peers, CIOs, CTOs and similar leaders are best placed to orchestrate how digital and business objectives mesh, and to spot and manage the risks such a fundamental transition can pose.
That will be critical as agentic AI proliferates across enterprises. The IDC Futurescape 2026 report predicts that next year, 40% of all G2000 (an annual list that ranks the world’s largest public companies published by Forbes) roles will involve working with AI agents, as CEOs look to boost revenue and reinvent business models.1
But the report also suggested a fifth of G1000 (see earlier definition) organisations will face lawsuits, substantial fines and CIO dismissals thanks to disruption caused by inadequate controls and governance of AI agents.2
Moreover, success is not guaranteed by investment alone. Just 13% of generative AI proofs of concept made it into production in 2024.3
So, what is the formula for success? IDC research found that over 40% of EMEA CIOs say excessive costs are the most significant factor in lowering AI projects’ success rates in 2024. More than half (52%) cite the importance of clear business objectives and use cases to achieve success with agentic AI.4
IT leaders understand what’s needed to realise AI ambitions while steering their companies past the pitfalls. They are the conductors of digital transformation, orchestrating technological change so that it aligns to business needs.
As one CIO in manufacturing puts it, “As a CIO, to be successful in the age of AI, you should focus on business understanding and business acumen. Because, if you don’t understand what’s truly bringing value to the business, AI will just be another fluke.”5
The agentic era
CIOs will increasingly lead the transition being driven by agentic AI – with change already in train. Virtually all organisations (97%) are either using agentic AI or preparing to use it.6
The central role of technology in modern enterprise is underlined by the fact that the vast majority of business leaders (85%) see the IT team as key stakeholders in AI purchase decisions.7
Preparations for agentic AI are as key as the deployments themselves. Businesses are investing into data and governance (63%), security and compliance (49%) and workplace skills (46%) to ensure their transformation plans succeed.8
Business leaders expect the technology to deliver revenue growth (51%) and productivity benefits (48%) as well as cost savings (42%), reduced security risk (41%) and improved customer satisfaction.9
Meanwhile IT decision makers see agentic AI as having potential to be used across most main business areas, with IT (54%) and customer service (50%) leading the way.10
That potential application of agentic AI across the business is why CIOs/CTOs and their teams are so key, especially when expectations around growth are high. As orchestrators, they must develop a strategic vision of how AI and other technologies can transform the enterprise in collaboration with business units.
As they balance technology transformation and measurable business outcomes, they will achieve “full mastery” of modernisation, innovation, risk management and cost optimisation.
This will, in turn, see them “empowering” the digital workforces that technologies like Salesforce’s Agentforce are designed to enable. The ideal is not to replace roles held by humans, but to enhance key human characteristics such as creativity, collaboration and innovation. And CIOs will be the linchpins holding this all together.
You can access the full research, including key guidance on what orchestrating and directing your organisation’s agentic AI strategy looks like in practice in the Infobrief.
1 IDC, IDC Media Center, IDC FutureScape 2026 Predictions Reveal the Rise of Agentic AI and a Turning Point in Enterprise Transformation, October 2025, https://my.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS53883425
2 Ibid
3 IDC, IDC Infobrief sponsored by Salesforce, IDC #EUR253439625, July 2025
4 Ibid
5 Ibid
6 Ibid
7 Ibid
8 Ibid
9 Ibid
10 Ibid