The State of AI in 2025: Agents, Innovation, and Transformation
In the 2025 edition of the annual McKinsey Global Survey on AI, researchers explore how artificial intelligence is generating measurable business value. The study was authored by Alex Singla, Alexander Sukharevsky, Lareina Yee, and Michael Chui, with inputs from Bryce Hall and Tara Balakrishnan, reflecting perspectives from QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey.
Adoption and Current Use
Three years after generative AI tools sparked a new phase for artificial intelligence, the technology has become an integral part of most organizations. According to the latest survey, nearly nine out of ten respondents confirm their companies make regular use of AI.
Challenges and Uneven Progress
Despite the widespread adoption of AI tools, many organizations have yet to integrate them deeply enough into daily workflows to unlock full-scale business impact. The transition from limited pilot projects to enterprise-wide implementation continues to be inconsistent.
“Eighty-eight percent of respondents report regular AI use in at least one business function, compared with seventy-eight percent a year ago.”
The Shift Toward Agentic AI
The current landscape reflects both broader utilization and emerging challenges. Agent-based AI systems are becoming more common, yet the struggle to achieve scalable, organization-wide results remains a central issue for companies worldwide.
Summary
The 2025 survey highlights that while AI adoption keeps expanding, the journey toward enterprise-level transformation through agentic models is still unfolding.
Author’s Summary: The 2025 McKinsey AI survey reveals growing adoption and agentic innovation, yet scaling AI impact across organizations remains a key challenge.