Short answer: The AI agent market is one of the fastest-growing parts of AI spending. Gartner's September 2026 forecast puts worldwide spending on AI agents and assistants at about $29.2 billion in 2026, up 77% from $16.5 billion in 2025, rising to $65.5 billion in 2027. Total AI spending is forecast at about $2.67 trillion in 2026, up 49.5%.

Key Takeaways

• $29.2 billion: forecast 2026 spending on AI agents and assistants, up 77% (Gartner, September 2026).
• $65.5 billion: forecast 2027 spending, more than double 2026.
• $2.67 trillion: total worldwide AI spending in 2026, up 49.5%.
• 40% of enterprise applications will feature task-specific AI agents by end of 2026, up from under 5% in 2025 (Gartner).
• About 20% of organizations have scaled agents; 40% of companies above $1 billion in revenue have (McKinsey, August 2026).

How Big Is the AI Agent Market in 2026?

Gartner now tracks AI agents and assistants as a separate spending category, split out from AI software. The category is small compared with infrastructure, but it is growing faster than most segments.

• AI agents and assistants: 2025: $16.5B; 2026: $29.2B; 2027: $65.5B; Growth 2025 to 2026: 77%
• AI software: 2025: $288.2B; 2026: $461.6B; 2027: $656.4B; Growth 2025 to 2026: 60%
• AI services: 2025: $434.0B; 2026: $576.5B; 2027: $745.7B; Growth 2025 to 2026: 33%
• AI infrastructure: 2025: $981.9B; 2026: $1,484.4B; 2027: $1,977.7B; Growth 2025 to 2026: 51%
• Generative AI models: 2025: $13.0B; 2026: $28.3B; 2027: $51.6B; Growth 2025 to 2026: 117%
• AI cybersecurity: 2025: $25.9B; 2026: $51.3B; 2027: $86.0B; Growth 2025 to 2026: 98%
• Total AI spending: 2025: $1,786.7B; 2026: $2,670.5B; 2027: $3,637.3B; Growth 2025 to 2026: 49.5%

Two caveats matter when reading these numbers. First, much agent capability is bundled into software that Gartner counts elsewhere, such as CRM, ERP and IT service platforms that add agents to existing products. Second, AI services, at $576.5 billion in 2026, include much of the consulting and integration work needed to deploy agents. The true economic footprint of agents is larger than the standalone category.

How Fast Are Enterprises Adopting AI Agents?

• Enterprise apps with task-specific AI agents by end of 2026: Figure: 40%, up from under 5% in 2025; Source: Gartner, August 2025
• Enterprise software apps including agentic AI by 2028: Figure: 33%, up from under 1% in 2024; Source: Gartner, June 2025
• Day-to-day work decisions made autonomously by agentic AI by 2028: Figure: At least 15%; Source: Gartner, June 2025
• Organizations scaling AI agents: Figure: About 20%; Source: McKinsey, August 2026
• Companies above $1 billion revenue scaling agents: Figure: 40%, up from 27%; Source: McKinsey, August 2026
• Organizations using AI regularly in at least 1 function: Figure: Nearly 9 in 10; Source: McKinsey, August 2026

Adoption is broad but shallow. McKinsey's 2026 State of AI survey of 1,719 respondents in 97 countries found nearly 9 in 10 organizations use AI regularly, but only about 2 in 10 have scaled agents. Scaled agents appear most often in IT, knowledge management and software engineering.

What Is Driving AI Agent Growth?

• Vendors are embedding agents into existing software. Gartner's prediction that 40% of enterprise apps will include task-specific agents by end of 2026 reflects agents arriving inside tools companies already use.
• Better models and tools. Generative AI model spending is forecast to grow 117% in 2026, and open standards such as the Model Context Protocol make connecting agents to business systems easier.
• Pressure to show AI returns. Agents promise measurable work completed, not just answers.

What Could Slow the Market Down?

Gartner also predicts more than 40% of agentic AI projects will be canceled by the end of 2027 because of cost, unclear value and weak risk controls. See why AI agent projects fail. AI cybersecurity spending, forecast to nearly double in 2026, shows how seriously companies take the new risks agents create.

What This Means for Buyers

1. Check what you already own. Many platforms now include agents; start there before buying standalone tools.
2. Budget for services. Integration, data work and change management often cost more than licenses.
3. Measure from day 1. See how to measure agentic AI ROI.

Frequently Asked Questions

How big is the AI agent market in 2026?

Gartner forecasts worldwide spending on AI agents and assistants of about $29.2 billion in 2026, up from $16.5 billion in 2025, and $65.5 billion in 2027.

How much will companies spend on AI overall in 2026?

Gartner forecasts total worldwide AI spending of about $2.67 trillion in 2026, up 49.5% from 2025.

How many enterprise applications will include AI agents?

Gartner predicts 40% of enterprise applications will feature task-specific AI agents by the end of 2026, up from less than 5% in 2025, and 33% of enterprise software applications will include agentic AI by 2028.

How many companies use AI agents in production?

About 20% of organizations report scaling AI agents in at least one function, and 40% of companies with more than $1 billion in revenue, according to McKinsey's 2026 State of AI survey.

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