Agentic AI Blurs Line Between Tool and Teammate

• New Survey-Based Report from Boston Consulting Group and MIT Sloan Management Review Details How Leaders Can Maximize Agentic AI's Duality with HR Approaches and Asset Management Techniques
• 76% of Executives Now View Agentic AI More As a Coworker than a Tool
• 35% of Companies Have Begun Using Agentic AI and Another 44% Plan to Deploy It Soon, but Few Have Restructured for It
• 250% More Respondents Expect AI to Have Greater Decision-Making Authority Within Three Years

BOSTON, Nov. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Agentic AI — systems that can plan, act, and learn on their own — is being embraced by organizations at a speed that outpaces the adoption of traditional and generative artificial intelligence. In less than two years, 35% of companies are already exploring agentic AI, with another 44% of companies planning to deploy it soon. However, few organizations have developed the management frameworks necessary for redesigning their workflows, governance models, investment planning, and talent strategies to keep up with this unprecedented pace.

These are among the findings of the ninth annual global research study on AI and business strategy released today by MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Titled "The Emerging Agentic Enterprise: How Leaders Must Navigate a New Age of AI," the report draws from a survey of 2,102 executives across 21 industries and 116 countries, as well as interviews with senior leaders.

"Historically, we had a nice, clean separation between technology and people, with management processes designed around that distinction. But agentic AI is neither a tool nor a teammate — it's both and thrives in that blur. The organizations that will succeed are those that recognize agentic AI's dual nature as a feature, not a bug," said report coauthor Sam Ransbotham, an analytics professor at Boston College.

Unlike earlier technologies, agentic AI systems are more than just tools to be operated or assistants waiting for instructions. Increasingly, they behave like autonomous teammates, capable of executing multistep processes and adapting as they go. Notably, 76% of the executives surveyed view agentic AI as more like a coworker than a tool.

"Agentic AI has the power to transform entire workflows and challenge existing business processes. The organizations that will succeed are those that put in the effort to reimagine their processes and not just force-fit agentic AI into existing ones," said Shervin Khodabandeh, BCG managing director and senior partner, a leader of the firm's AI business and coauthor of the report.

Other key findings include:

• 66% of leading agentic AI organizations expect changes to their operating models compared with 42% of those that are just beginning to use the technology.
• 58% of agentic AI leaders expect governance structure changes within three years, with expectations that AI systems will have decision-making authority growing 250%.
• 43% of agentic AI leaders anticipate being more open or willing to hire generalists in place of specialists; 45% anticipate a reduction in layers of middle management; and 29% expect fewer entry-level roles.
• 95% of individuals at leading agentic AI organizations report AI positively impacting their job satisfaction.
• 73% of agentic AI leaders expect that using the technology will change their organization's ability to differentiate itself compared with 53% of those with no agentic AI adoption. Additionally, 76% of individuals working at leading agentic AI organizations believe that using agentic AI will affect their ability to differentiate themselves from their coworkers compared with 49% of individuals working in organizations with no agentic AI adoption.

Organizations now face an unprecedented challenge as a result of agentic AI's uniqueness as both a tool and a coworker: managing a single system that demands both human resource approaches and asset management techniques. The report offers evidence-based recommendations on how to proceed.

Download the report here.

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About MIT Sloan Management Review

MIT Sloan Management Review's Big Ideas Initiatives develop innovative, original research on the issues transforming our fast-changing business environment. We conduct global surveys and in-depth interviews with front-line leaders working at a range of companies, from Silicon Valley startups to multinational organizations, to deepen our understanding of changing paradigms and their influence on how people work and lead.

About Boston Consulting Group

Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we work closely with clients to embrace a transformational approach aimed at benefiting all stakeholders—empowering organizations to grow, build sustainable competitive advantage, and drive positive societal impact.

Our diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectives that question the status quo and spark change. BCG delivers solutions through leading-edge management consulting, technology and design, and corporate and digital ventures. We work in a uniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization, fueled by the goal of helping our clients thrive and enabling them to make the world a better place.

SOURCE MIT Sloan Management Review