Investment and AI Agent Deployment Surge as Execution Becomes the Differentiator

Kevin Bogle, KPMG US Advisory Leader, Technology, Media & Telecommunications, said: "The AI execution gap for technology companies is a competitive ceiling. The organizations that break through it won't just move faster — they'll create distance that's difficult to close: deploying products faster, reallocating senior talent to higher-order problems, and building compounding advantages that widen over time. But the path there runs through governance — securing data access, verifying agent work, and building the trust infrastructure that makes scaling possible.”

Chad Seiler, KPMG US Industry Leader, Technology, Media & Telecommunications, said: “For technology companies at the frontier of AI, committing to the technology is no longer the hard part — executing is. Skills gaps, uneven data foundations, and the challenge of scaling are creating a widening divide between intent and impact. As agents reshape the talent required to close it, the window to do so will narrow further in 2026, rewarding organizations that have built the muscle to deploy AI responsibly and at scale.”

• 96% of tech leaders say AI will continue to be a top investment priority, even if a recession occurs in the next 12 months.
• Over the next 12 months, Tech respondents project to invest an average of $294 million in AI.
• AI agent deployment is at 80%, close to 30 ppt higher than the overall KPMG US Q1 2026 Quarterly Pulse (54%).
• Top barriers to demonstrate ROI include: 92% skills gap, 78% difficulty quantifying indirect or long-term benefits, and 78% difficulty scaling use cases.
• Data readiness and access (97%) and technical skill gaps (82%) are the top challenges to deploying AI agents according to tech leaders.
• 70% of leaders cite misuse of AI by bad actors, including cybersecurity and misinformation, as the most difficult society-wide challenge with AI between now and 2030.

Chris Long, KPMG US Advisory leader, Financial Services, said: “AI investment in banking is accelerating even amid broader economic uncertainty, with a growing focus on turning that momentum into sustained value. Banks are moving from isolated use cases to enterprise-wide integration across operating models, paired with a clear emphasis on upskilling the workforce. The priority now is scaling AI capabilities across the organization while strengthening governance, monitoring and controls to detect misuse, prepare for bad actors, and align risk, compliance, and business functions to support responsible growth.”

Peter Torrente, KPMG US Sector Leader, Banking & Capital Markets, said: “AI implementation in banking won’t be won by speed alone. As investment and deployment accelerate, the institutions getting it right are upskilling their workforce while embedding governance early—so shortcuts don’t undermine scale or introduce systemic risk.” 

• In the next 12 months, banking leaders project to invest an average $177 million, a 33% increased projection from the Q4 2025 survey.
• Data privacy concern is the greatest barrier to successfully meeting their organization’s AI strategy according to 92% of banking leaders.
• AI deployment is at 47% from banking respondents.
• 54% of banking leaders are willing to compensate 11-15% more for strong AI skills; an 18% increase from Q4 2025 (36%).
• 94% of banking leaders say AI will continue to be a top investment priority, even if a recession occurs in the next 12 months.
• 87% of banking leaders cite misuse of AI by bad actors as the most difficult society-wide challenge with AI between now and 2030. 

David Neuenhaus, KPMG US Line of Business Leader, Asset Management & Private Equity, said: "Across asset management and private equity, firms are steadily expanding AI deployment and increasing investment, with growing focus on how these capabilities scale responsibly across the enterprise. As AI agents move deeper into core workflows, governance, security, and human judgment are becoming central to strategy. The firms making the most progress are pairing disciplined deployment with flexible talent models to deliver durable value without increasing risk.”

Carole Streicher, KPMG US Advisory Leader, Private Equity & Asset Management, said: “We’re seeing firms take a more deliberate, investor-minded approach to scaling by balancing innovation with the need for transparency, control, and defensibility. With heightened expectations from boards and stakeholders, leaders are putting greater emphasis on traceability of outcomes, data integrity, and clear lines of accountability. At the same time, evolving talent strategies are becoming critical to sustaining momentum and ensuring AI delivers consistent, risk-aware performance over time.”

• AM & PE firms are projected to invest $148 million in AI over the next 12 months, nearly 1.5x higher than projected in Q4 of FY25 ($101 million).
  • 94% of AM & PE leaders say AI will continue to be a top investment priority, even if a recession occurs in the next 12 months.
• 39% of AM & PE organizations are actively scaling, deploying, and orchestrating AI agents across workflows, up from 24% in Q4 FY25.
• Data security, privacy, and risk concerns (100%) and pressures to demonstrate value to our board (99%) are the top factors influencing AI strategy for AM & PE leaders in the next 6 months.
• Employee skill gaps (89%) difficulty scaling use cases (85%), and data privacy & cyber risk considerations (84%) are the top barriers to demonstrating ROI for AM & PE leaders.
• 46% of AM & PE leaders are willing to pay an 11%–15% premium for strong AI skills, a 26‑percentage‑point increase from Q4 FY25.