93% of IT Leaders to Implement AI Agents Within Next Two Years

In today's fast-paced business environment, companies are increasingly turning to agentic AI to streamline operations and deliver value at unprecedented speeds. By integrating digital labor across various sectors, businesses are not just keeping up but setting new standards in efficiency and productivity.

The 2025 Connectivity Benchmark Report, a collaboration between MuleSoft and Deloitte Digital, reveals a striking trend: 93% of IT leaders are planning to roll out autonomous AI agents within the next two years, with nearly half already having made the leap. This shift is underscored by Mark Zuckerberg's bold prediction that AI agents will soon rival the skills of competent mid-level engineers.

MuleSoft's 10th annual Connectivity Benchmark Report draws on insights from 1,050 IT leaders worldwide, offering a comprehensive view of the current landscape. Here's a snapshot of the key findings:

Data Silos and Integration Challenges

• Organizations are juggling an average of 897 applications, with 45% managing over 1,000. Yet, only 29% of these apps are integrated, creating significant hurdles in delivering a unified user experience.
• The complexity of managing these systems is pushing IT workloads sky-high, with 86% of leaders expecting an increase in their teams' responsibilities over the next year, while still maintaining existing systems and governing 70% of enterprise-wide automations.

The Elusive Integrated User Experience

• Despite the rise in enterprise-wide automation, 66% of respondents still struggle to provide a seamless user experience across different channels.
• Integration remains a critical challenge, with 95% of IT leaders citing it as a barrier to effective AI implementation. However, APIs are proving beneficial, with 55% noting improvements in IT infrastructure and 45% seeing enhanced user experiences.

Top Takeaways for CIOs and IT Leaders

AI Adoption Surpasses Projections

• A whopping 93% of IT leaders are set to introduce autonomous agents in the next two years, with nearly half already on board.
• Expectations are high for AI to boost developer productivity, with 93% anticipating an increase over the next three years.
• The number of AI models in use is set to double from 2024 to 2025, with predictions of a further 78% increase to an average of 32 models in the coming years.
• IT budgets are on the rise in 2025, with 85% of decision-makers expecting an increase, driven by the demand for AI.
• Investments in data infrastructure are four times those in AI, with 25% of budgets allocated to data management compared to 5% for AI.
• Workloads are expected to surge, with an 18% increase in project delivery anticipated, and IT staffing budgets set to grow by 61.9% to an estimated $16.91M.
• Despite the optimism around AI's productivity benefits, project delivery is slipping, with 29% of projects not being completed on time, up from 26% last year.
• Integration and legacy systems are the primary hurdles to AI implementation, with 95% of organizations facing challenges in this area, compounded by concerns over cybersecurity and data privacy.

Disconnected Data Strains IT Resources

• Integration challenges are a major roadblock to legacy modernization for 83% of organizations, with 97% struggling to integrate end-user experiences.
• Only 34% of respondents manage to provide an integrated user experience across all channels, with integration issues hindering digital transformation for 83%.
• Creating connected end-user experiences can lead to a 49% improvement in ROI.
• The top challenges to seamless customer experiences include adopting AI tools (44%), reusing software components (42%), leveraging APIs (37%), implementing microservice architecture (36%), and adopting event-driven APIs (35%).

Rising Demand for AI Agents Fuels Integration Needs

• The average enterprise uses 897 apps, with 46% using 1,000 or more, yet only 2% have integrated over half of them.
• Digital customer engagements make up 71% of all interactions, underscoring the need for robust application integration.
• Data silos are stifling innovation, with only 10% of respondents facing no challenges due to them, while 74% find their IT systems overly interdependent.
• Data mobility poses the biggest integration challenge, followed by correlating data for insights and reusing data across applications.
• At least 80% of data science, engineering, sales, and customer service departments are clamoring for better integration.
• AI integration is proving tricky, with 81% of IT leaders reporting challenges, particularly given the average application lifespan of five years.
• Without integration, AI lacks the critical data it needs to function effectively, with 81% identifying data integration as a significant challenge for AI implementation.

The report also emphasizes the pivotal role of automation, with 70% of automation governed by central IT teams. A comprehensive automation strategy is deemed crucial for integrating AI seamlessly into organizational workflows. Beyond IT, 65% of organizations have developed strategies to empower non-technical users with low-code and no-code solutions, reflecting a broad demand for automation, with 98% of IT leaders recognizing its necessity within their organizations.

For those eager to dive deeper into the 2025 Connectivity Benchmark Report, further details are available here.