KPMG Survey Shows Leaders Delay AI Agent Deployments

A second-quarter 2026 Global AI Pulse survey by KPMG reveals that 49 percent of senior leaders have delayed or scaled back the deployment of AI agents. This trend stems from operating costs outweighing the benefits, specifically as pricing models shift from flat subscriptions to usage-based token pricing. These costs increase significantly for agents performing long, multi-step tasks.

Despite these pullbacks, AI remains a top investment priority for 79 percent of leaders, with average spending remaining steady at $188 million. The survey of 2,145 leaders across 20 countries suggests that organizations are redesigning agents to improve financial discipline rather than exiting the technology entirely.

Cost visibility remains a significant challenge in the United States, where only 26 percent of leaders at billion-dollar companies report full, real-time visibility into AI operating costs. Following the release of the data, the prediction market Polymarket set the odds of an AI bubble burst by the end of the year at approximately 15 percent.