New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) Enterprises are expected to spend 3-4 times more funds on AI agents in 2025, signalling a strategic reallocation of budgets away from classical AI and even GenAI toward more interactive, autonomous agent-based systems, a Nasscom-led report said on Thursday.

The next frontier of enterprise transformation is being shaped by AI agents, which are rapidly progressing from experimentation to deployment.

As organisations move toward synchronous AI architectures, AI agents are emerging as a core capability, said the report by Nasscom in partnership with Avasant.

Currently, 27 per cent of enterprises report having AI agents in production or at scale, while 31 per cent are at the proof-of-concept stage, and another 30 per cent plan to initiate PoCs or scale deployments in 2025.

The outlook for 2025 signals a fundamental transformation in digital strategies, marked by a decisive pivot toward AI-first operations.

“2025 will mark a decisive turning point in enterprise transformation, where the shift from digital-first to AI-first becomes not just a strategy, but an operational imperative,” said Sangeeta Gupta, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Nasscom.

The transition to synchronous AI agents marks a fundamental shift towards seamless human-machine collaboration, unlocking new levels of productivity and innovation.

Enterprises that invest in modular, agile architectures and build AI-ready workforces will be best positioned to navigate uncertainty and capture growth opportunities in the coming decade, Gupta noted.

Enterprises are beginning to transition from being merely digital to becoming truly AI-first — embedding intelligence across workflows, decisions, and experiences.

In 2024, 40 per cent of the companies spent over 40 per cent of their tech budget on digital, compared to just 15 per cent in 2023.

According to the survey findings, 67 per cent of global enterprises spent 10 per cent or more of digital budget on AI in 2024.

Digital spending, despite volatility, is likely to stay course in 2025. Enterprises are planning to allocate over 18 per cent of their digital tech portfolio spend on AI in 2025, up from 14 per cent in 2024, said the report.

Akshay Khanna, Managing Partner, Avasant, said, “In 2025, we’re seeing a decisive surge in digital investments — 81 per cent of enterprises expect higher digital spending compared to last year, with a strong focus on AI technologies, including predictive, generative, and synchronous AI”.

–IANS

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