ArdorComm Media News Network
September 24, 2026
The growing adoption of agentic artificial intelligence is not necessarily resulting in higher productivity for businesses, with productivity declining at nearly 30 per cent of companies after teams began using autonomous AI tools, according to McKinsey’s Technology Trends Outlook 2026.
The report noted that organisations can face operational challenges when they introduce agentic AI into software development without making corresponding changes to their existing workflows and processes. While autonomous AI systems can automate several stages of software development, the productivity benefits have differed significantly across organisations.
McKinsey cautioned that simply increasing the amount of coding does not necessarily lead to more useful products or faster business growth. In one study cited in the report, AI tools increased coding activity by 180 per cent, while the number of shipped releases increased by only 30 per cent.
The report also highlighted a significant trust gap among developers. Globally, around 46 per cent of developers said they actively distrust the accuracy of AI tools, while 33 per cent said they trust them. Only 3 per cent expressed a high level of trust in AI-generated outputs. McKinsey said developer confidence and acceptance could become an important factor determining the value organisations derive from agentic software development.
Despite these concerns, investment in agentic AI continues to grow rapidly. Equity investment in companies developing agentic software increased from relatively negligible levels through 2023 to around $5 billion in 2025. The figure crossed $61 billion in the first half of 2026, largely driven by a reported $60 billion acquisition of Cursor. Job postings related to agentic AI also rose 221 per cent between 2024 and 2025.
The broader AI ecosystem is witnessing a similar surge in investment. Spending on AI infrastructure doubled within a year, while energy technologies attracted nearly $200 billion in investment during 2025 as companies sought to address the rising energy requirements associated with AI.
McKinsey said the rapid pace of AI adoption is creating additional challenges for businesses, many of which are attempting to scale the technology without established implementation frameworks. Organisations must simultaneously address workforce upskilling, legacy-system upgrades and evolving cybersecurity risks as AI becomes increasingly integrated into business operations.
Source: McKinsey