The Google Cloud Study says 52% of executives say their organizations are deploying AI agents, lifting a new wave of business value.

• The second ROI of AI research highlights a new group of “agent AI early adopters” that achieve higher returns in agent AI use cases, including those related to customer experience, marketing, security and software development
• Over half (53%) of managers reporting an increase in revenues have earnings growth rates of 6-10% from the generated AI.
• As AI investments increase, the biggest concerns for executives when choosing an LLM provider will be privacy and security

Sunnyvale, California., September 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -Google Cloud today published the results of its second annual global study on AI return on investment (ROI). Respondents identified consistent year-over-year revenue growth rates from AI initiatives and stable investments in AI and agent projects. The report also highlighted a new group of “Agent AI Early Turn” where organizations deploy agents at scale and deploy higher rates of ROI from Agent AI in areas such as customer service and experience, marketing, security operations, cybersecurity and software development.

Commissioned by Google Cloud and conducted by the National Research Group, the comprehensive ROI of AI research surveys surveyed 3,466 senior global companies in 24 countries generating AI deployments within their organization.

The rise of AI agents

This study revealed that AI agents (specialized large-scale language models (LLMs) that can be independently planned, inferred, and executed) are rapidly adopted by organizations.

The key findings are as follows:

• Agents grow rapidly: Over half (52%) of executives report that their organizations are actively using AI agents, while 39% report that their companies have launched more than 10.
• Benefits of early adoption: A clear group of “Agent AI Early Adapters,” representing 13% of the executives surveyed, shows that the organization has dedicated at least 50% of its future AI budget to AI agents, and that agents are already deeply embedded within the entire business. 88% of these leaders report seeing ROI from generated AI in at least one use case, compared to an average of 74% across all organizations.
• Higher rate of ROI: These early adopters are more likely to consistently report seeing ROIs in agent AI use cases. These include enhanced customer service and experience (43% vs. 36%), improved marketing effectiveness (41% vs. average), enhanced security operations (40% vs. 30%), and improved software development (37% vs. 27%).

“This year's survey shows we'll be in the next chapter of AI Wave. The conversation will move from “if” to “speed,” and the new differentiator is Agent AI.” Oliver Parkerglobal generative AI Go-To-Market, Vice President of Google Cloud. “Early agent recruits don't just automate tasks. They're redesigning their core business processes. They advocate AI as a core engine for competitive growth and provide a clear roadmap for organizations looking to scale, solve complex challenges and gain more consistent ROI by securing dedicated budgets.”

Agent AI Applications

The study also highlighted the diverse application of AI agents across different industries and regions.

• Use Case Span Division: The most common cross-industry applications of AI agents reported in this study were customer service and experience (49%), marketing (46%), security operations and cybersecurity (46%), and technical support (45%).
• Major Rading Industry: Agent AI adoption is consistent across most industries, with healthcare and life sciences being slightly behind. Included in industry-specific use cases scam Management and detection in financial services (43%); Retail and CPG quality control (39%); Telephone company network or equipment configuration and automation (39%).
• Regional nuances are pronounced: Research shows that use cases priorities vary by region. Executive Europefor example, report AI-enhanced technical support as a use case for top AI agents, but executives Japan–Asia Pacific (JAPAC) Reporting use cases focused on customer service latin america About marketing.

“We are watching organizations around the world use agent AI to tackle complex, industry-specific tasks. scam “Detection of financial services for retail quality control.” Carrie Tharpvice president, head of strategic industry and solutions, Google Cloud. “This isn't just about efficiency, it's about embedding intelligence directly into business.”

ROI and investments remain strong as the focus shifts to privacy and security

The financial return rate of the generated AI is consistent with last year's survey results. 74% of executives report achieving ROI within the first year. Furthermore, over half of executives (56%) said that generated AI has led to business growth. Of these, 71% reported an increase in revenue, with 53% of that group estimated profits of 6-10%.

The top drivers of AI added value in this study were productivity (70%), customer experience (63%) and business growth (56%), with data increasing (51% in 2025 and 47% in 2024) adopting AI applications from production ideas to use cases within 3-6 months.

As investment in generator AI grows – 77% of research executives spend on GEN AI increases as technology costs drop, and 48% redistribute non-AI budgets to GEN AI, resulting in a new set of challenges emerging. Thirty-seven percent of respondents reported data privacy and security as one of the organization's top three LLM providers' considerations, followed by integration with existing systems and costs. This suggests that organizations are considering their key enterprise needs before evaluating more sophisticated or differentiated features, such as specific features and customizations.

“2024 has proven that generator AI works. 2025 is about exacerbating its success,” Parker added. “The biggest hurdle for most organizations is rooted in the security of underlying data and system integration. The solution is to adopt modern data strategies with strong governance from the start.”

Download to see the full findings and learn more about where your organization stands on your AI journey ROI for AI Reports.

About Google Cloud

Google Cloud is a new way to the cloud, providing AI, infrastructure, developers, data, security and collaboration tools built for today and tomorrow. Google Cloud provides a powerful, fully integrated, optimized AI stack with its own planetary infrastructure, custom build chips, generative AI models and development platforms, and applications powered by AI, helping organizations transform. Customers in over 200 countries and territories rely on Google Cloud as their trusted technology partner.

Research method

The report is based on a survey conducted by Google Cloud and National Research Group of 3,466 senior leaders and global company executives conducting generative AI deployments within the organization. Survey respondents represent organizations from 24 countries North America, latin americaEMEA, and JAPAC, and the entire major industries including Financial Services, Manufacturing and Automotive, Retail & Consumer Packaged Products, Telecommunications, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Media & Entertainment, and the Public Sector. The breakdown of roles surveyed includes CEOs, CIOs, CFOs, CMOs, CMOs, CTOs, CISOs, CDOs, CSOs, COOs and Directors of Digital Strategy, IT and Marketing, IT VPS, Innovation Heads and Marketing Directors.

Source Google Cloud