AI-powered coding agents are reshaping enterprise technology spending

Serdar HocamAuthor & Editor

According to a McKinsey report, companies are building software internally rather than buying it thanks to AI agents, though profitability challenges persist.

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AI adoption surges, but companies still struggle to turn productivity gains into profits

A recent research report published by McKinsey has revealed that AI-backed coding agents are transforming enterprise technology spending, with a significant portion of companies choosing to build software in-house rather than purchasing it from external vendors.

Companies are developing their own software

Nearly one-third of the organizations participating in the study stated that they have decided against purchasing at least one software product or feature because they were able to build the relevant functionality internally using agent-based coding tools.

Sector-specific prominent trends

It was noted that the trend of developing software internally rather than purchasing it is particularly pronounced in the technology and healthcare sectors, followed by professional services, and the energy and materials sectors.

AI scaling in high-revenue companies

Among respondents working in organizations with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion, 40 percent stated that they have scaled AI agents in at least one function; this figure stood at 27 percent in the previous year.

Adoption stage remains unchanged in smaller organizations

While AI utilization in large-scale enterprises has increased rapidly, adoption rates in smaller-scale organizations were observed to remain around 22 percent and largely at the same level.

Strategy of high-performing companies

It was emphasized that high-performing companies in the field of AI move much faster and show twice the propensity compared to other organizations when it comes to scaling software coding agents.

Costs and operational limitations

It was understood that the operational expenses of AI technology, including token costs, have become a factor restricting the use of the technology for roughly one in every five organizations.

Investment appetite remains strong for the upcoming period

Despite operational cost pressures, investment appetite remains strong, with 60 percent of participants expecting to increase their AI investments over the coming year.