The age of AI assistants is giving way to something far more capable: AI agents that act. According to G2’s newly released 2025 AI Agents Insights Report, these systems are no longer experimental toys for the tech-savvy—they’re driving measurable business growth across industries.

Based on responses from over 1,000 B2B decision-makers, G2’s report reveals that 57% of organizations already have AI agents in production, and more than half plan to expand their scope or budgets in the next 12 months. It’s a striking sign that AI agents—autonomous systems capable of executing tasks and coordinating workflows—have crossed the adoption chasm faster than the generative AI tools that preceded them.

“Agents are the great leap in the application of AI technology that we’ve all been waiting for,” said Tim Sanders, Chief Innovation Officer at G2. “This shift moves us from measuring individual productivity to predicting organizational velocity.”

From Hype to Business Outcomes

Unlike the first wave of generative AI, which primarily assisted and advised, AI agents act—triggering real business operations and handling decision-based tasks. The report found that the median time to value for agent deployments is six months or less, a turnaround that equals or surpasses traditional AI investments.

Among surveyed companies:

• 40% have budgets exceeding $1 million for agent initiatives.

• 25% of large enterprises are prepared to spend over $5 million.

• 83% of buyers report satisfaction with agent performance.

• Velocity gains of up to 50% were reported in marketing and sales functions.

That momentum is translating into measurable operational gains. G2 data shows a median 23% improvement in speed-to-market, and nearly 90% of respondents reported higher employee satisfaction in departments where agents were deployed—suggesting that automation, when implemented thoughtfully, can enhance morale rather than threaten it.

Trust, the Key to Scaling AI

Perhaps the most telling insight: organizations that keep a “human in the loop” are seeing dramatically better results. These hybrid models were twice as likely to achieve 75% or greater cost savings compared to fully autonomous setups. In other words, trust isn’t just ethical—it’s economical.

“Agent systems are far more likely to advance to deployment when they maintain human oversight,” Sanders explained. “That’s what’s building the confidence to scale.”

SaaS Must Evolve—or Be Left Behind

The rise of agents is also shaking up the software-as-a-service (SaaS) ecosystem. G2’s report predicts that standalone SaaS tools will soon give way to “agent-augmented platforms.”

Key findings include:

• One in three companies would switch vendors to gain agent functionality.

• 68% of leaders see agents augmenting, not replacing, SaaS applications.

• The Agent-to-Agent (A2A) era has already begun, with half of companies reporting that their AI systems now coordinate across vendors and platforms.

That dynamic is likely to redefine the software market itself—pushing vendors to rethink pricing, packaging, and positioning in an agent-first world.

The Takeaway: AI Agents Are Here to Work

If generative AI represented imagination, AI agents represent execution. The shift from content creation to operational automation is redefining enterprise productivity—and G2’s data suggests the change isn’t theoretical. It’s happening now, across boardrooms, IT stacks, and front-line workflows alike.

As Sanders put it, “The organizations winning in 2025 are those that treat AI not as a tool, but as a teammate.”

Get in touch with our MarTech Experts.

">