Dynatrace Announces "The Pulse of Agentic AI in 2026" Report

Dynatrace, a provider of AI-powered observability platforms, has released its first global survey, "The Pulse of Agentic AI in 2026," focusing on observability and reliability as critical factors for the successful operationalization of agent-based AI. The survey of 919 global senior leaders responsible for agent-based AI adoption revealed that the stagnation in AI adoption is not due to skepticism about AI itself, but rather to the lack of established means to properly govern, validate, and safely scale autonomous systems.

Key Findings in Japan

The survey, which included responses from 100 senior leaders in Japan out of a total of 919 respondents, found that 72% of Japanese companies anticipate increased AI budgets in the next fiscal year, aligning with the global average (74%). However, only 13% of companies plan significant budget increases exceeding $2 million (approximately 300 million yen), indicating a more cautious approach compared to the global average (48%).

Furthermore, the percentage of AI-driven decisions verified by humans in Japan stands at 74%, which is 5 percentage points higher than the global average (69%). The use of agent-based AI for both "internal and external" purposes was reported by only 11% of Japanese companies (global average: 50%), suggesting a stronger emphasis on ensuring governance and transparency in the adoption of autonomous systems among Japanese firms.

Structural Shift: Reliability Emerges as a Key Driver for Adoption Expansion

According to the survey, approximately 50% of agent-based AI adoption projects are currently in the Proof of Concept (POC) or pilot phase. While adoption is still in its nascent stages, it is expanding rapidly, with 26% of companies already managing over 11 projects. As organizations transition from experimentation to full-scale deployment, the demand for reliable, trustworthy, and proven platforms is growing.

This shift is evident in both corporate intent and execution, with 74% expecting an increase in project budgets for the upcoming year. These findings highlight a structural turning point where AI reliability, resilience, governance, and the visibility of real-time insights are significantly influencing companies' readiness for the full-scale operation of agent-based AI.

Key findings from the report include:

• Nearly half of global senior leaders (48%) expect to increase their project budgets by at least $2 million (approximately 300 million yen), indicating continued cautious investment in projects.

• AI agents are primarily deployed in "IT Operations & DevOps (72%)", followed by "Software Engineering (56%)" and "Customer Support (51%)".

• Among the top priorities for agent-based AI adoption, 51% of business leaders cited "Improving decision-making capabilities with real-time insights," closely followed by "Improving system performance and reliability (50%)" and "Improving internal efficiency for operational cost reduction (50%)".

• The areas with the highest expected ROI from agent-based AI adoption projects are "IT Operations/System Monitoring (44%)", "Cybersecurity (27%)", and "Data Processing and Reporting (25%)".

• The primary barriers preventing the production deployment of agent-based AI are "Security, privacy, and compliance concerns (52%)" and "Technical challenges in managing and monitoring agents at scale (51%)". These are followed by "Lack of skilled personnel and training (44%)"...