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# Scaled AI agent use peaked at 24% of respondents in 2025, for software engineering in the technology sector
- URL: https://aiadoption.org/data/scaled-ai-agent-use-by-industry/
- Published: 2026-10-19T16:14:13.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-21T06:02:00.000Z
- Description: 24% of McKinsey survey respondents in technology said AI agents were in scaled use in software engineering in 2025. Outside technology, the highest was 20%, for marketing and sales in insurance.
- Author: Manu
- Tags: Data, AI Adoption, AI Agents, #chart, #ai-index-2026, #hub-adoption, #topic-ai-agents

24%

#1 of 11

of respondents in technology reported AI agents in scaled use in software engineering in 2025, the highest share in the chart

Technology sector, 2025

Software engineering24%

IT22%

Service operations21%

## What the chart shows

In McKinsey’s 2025 State of AI survey, the highest share of respondents reporting AI agents in scaled use in any industry and function was 24%, for software engineering in the technology sector. Technology also reported 22% in IT and 21% in service operations. Insurance was the only other industry above 16%, at 20% in marketing and sales.

Most combinations are in single digits. Scaled agent use in manufacturing reached no more than 4% in any industry, and in human resources it reached 9% only in technology.

## Key numbers

| Measure                                  | Value |
| ---------------------------------------- | ----- |
| Technology, software engineering         | 24%   |
| Technology, IT                           | 22%   |
| Technology, service operations           | 21%   |
| Insurance, marketing and sales           | 20%   |
| Highest for manufacturing (any industry) | 4%    |

## How to read it

- Shares of respondents in each industry reporting AI agents in scaled use in each business function, from McKinsey’s State of AI survey (2025); not shares of companies.
- The industry groups differ from those in McKinsey’s industry-and-function chart of overall AI use.
- Rows are ordered by the technology sector’s values, highest first.

**Source:** [McKinsey & Company Survey](https://aiadoption.org/sources/#mckinsey-state-of-ai), 2025, via the AI Index Report 2026 (Stanford HAI), figure 4.3.7: *AI agents in scaled use by industry and function, 2025*. Chart and text by AI Adoption.  
Numbers checked against the published data on 20 October 2026.  
[Download the data (CSV)](https://charts.aiadoption.org/ai-index/csv/scaled-ai-agent-use-by-industry.csv?ref=aiadoption.org) · [Cite this chart](#source)