Among organisations piloting or deploying autonomous business capabilities, approximately 80% report workforce reductions, according to a May 2026 survey by the business and technology analyst firm Gartner.

However, those reductions do not appear to translate into return on investment (ROI).

The survey also found that workforce reduction rates were nearly equal among respondents reporting higher ROI from autonomous technologies and those experiencing only modest gains or negative outcomes.

According to the press announcement, Gartner surveyed 350 global business executives in the third quarter of 2025 to understand the current state of autonomous business at enterprises. Qualifying organisations reported enterprise-wide annual revenue of at least $1 billion or equivalent, and they had been piloting or had already deployed at least one of the following:

AI agents, intelligent automation or autonomous technologies.

What Gartner describes as “Autonomous Businesses” are set to grow further as AI agents become more widespread. The company predicts that spending on AI agent software will reach $206.5 billion in 2026 and $376.3 billion in 2027, up from $86.4 billion in 2025.

Furthermore, the analysts highlighted that utilising technologies such as AI agents, intelligent automation, RPA, digital twins, and tokenised assets, an Autonomous Business will enable organisations to transition from simple augmentation and automation to true autonomy, where both machines and people have greater autonomy. This does not mean a business without humans; rather, it means a business with humans amplified.

“Many CEOs turn to layoffs to demonstrate quick AI returns; however, this disposition is misplaced,” said Helen Poitevin, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner. “Workforce reductions may create budget room, but they do not create return. Organizations that improve ROI are not those that eliminate the need for people, but those that amplify them by aggressively investing more in skills, roles and operating models that allow humans to guide and scale autonomous systems.”

Autonomous Business Will Create More Work for Humans

Gartner highlighted that, as autonomy increases for both machines and people, and the demand for human workers rises rather than falls, the firm anticipates that autonomous businesses will create more jobs than they eliminate by 2028 to 2029, driven by new types of work that AI cannot handle.

“Lasting structural factors such as demographic decline and high-stakes, trust-dependent consumer moments will ensure human talent remains central to running, governing and scaling autonomous business,” concludes Poitevin.