The “agent gap”: big companies are pulling ahead
By Brett Gavaghan, Founder of Adaptd · · Updated
McKinsey's latest State of AI survey shows enterprises scaling AI agents while smaller firms stall. The difference isn't budget — it's ownership.
The short version
- McKinsey says the share of large enterprises scaling AI agents in at least one function rose from 27% to 40% this year.
- For smaller organisations the figure barely moved, staying around 22%.
- The difference is ownership, which a midsize business can borrow rather than hire.
McKinsey's latest State of AI research has a number worth sitting with.
What is the AI agent gap?
The agent gap is the difference between large enterprises and smaller firms in scaling AI agents. Large enterprises jumped from 27% to 40% this year, while for smaller organisations the figure barely moved, stuck around 22%.
Why are smaller firms falling behind on AI agents?
Smaller firms are falling behind because of ownership, not budget. Agents don't need enterprise budgets: the same survey found roughly a third of organisations have skipped buying at least one piece of software because they could build the capability internally with agentic tools. The technology is more accessible than it has ever been.
Big companies have someone whose actual job is making AI stick: choosing the right first project, wiring it into real workflows, training people, and staying with it past the demo stage. Most midsize businesses don't, which is also why so many AI projects fail. Industry analyses this year keep landing on failure rates around 80%, mostly for organisational reasons, not technical ones.
How can a midsize business close the gap?
A midsize business can close the gap by borrowing a head of AI rather than hiring one: someone who picks the boring-but-valuable first automation, proves it in weeks, and hands your team something they own.
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