2026 State of AI and Automation Professionals

Enterprise AI has entered its operational era. Over half of the 1,226 builders surveyed now run AI agents in production. A year ago, most were still experimenting. 

The friction has shifted. Governance, integration, and reliability are now the top barriers. They rank ahead of technical limitations. Adoption is no longer the hard part. Operating at scale is. 

Nearly three quarters of builders still run mostly deterministic automation. AI is layering onto that foundation. Builders working across a broader stack expect more investment growth.

Python and SQL are essential to the technology stack. LLM providers are diversifying, too. Organizations already running agents in production are twice as likely to have formal governance in place.  

Explore the full report to see the data, benchmarks, and practical insights shaping the next phase of enterprise AI.