Enterprises Empower AI Agents for Bounded Tasks

Organizations begin introducing workflow automation with human oversight to improve process execution, ISG Provider Lens^® reports say

STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Enterprises are using agentic AI to redistribute work between people and machines, giving it defined operational responsibilities while keeping humans in the loop, according to two new global research reports published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm.

Organizations are focusing on work that intelligent platforms can perform reliably within defined limits. The goal is allocation of responsibility between machines and people, with safeguards that preserve accountability for consequences.
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The 2026 ISG Provider Lens^® Agentic AI Services report finds that the technical capabilities of agents are progressing faster than companies are delegating responsibility to them. In most organizations, it is more common for agentic AI platforms to coordinate and perform defined tasks than to independently own consequential processes. This measured approach reflects concerns about accountability, permissions, security and operational risk in areas where technology can alter records or trigger actions.

“Organizations are focusing on work that intelligent platforms can perform reliably within defined limits,” said Steve Hall, chief AI officer, ISG. “The goal is allocation of responsibility between machines and people, with safeguards that preserve accountability for consequences. With clear operating conditions, companies can delegate responsibility to AI without exceeding acceptable business limits.”

The 2026 ISG Provider Lens^® Agentic AI Services — Specialists report finds that specialist providers are advancing from isolated task agents toward multi-step workflows and multi-agent orchestration. They are industrializing delivery through libraries of reusable agents and embedding governance controls throughout the lifecycle of an agent rather than treating governance as a checkpoint.

Before assigning responsibilities to agents, enterprises are assessing whether decisions are bounded, outcomes are observable and exceptions are manageable. Multi-step processes with clear operating parameters are the strongest candidates for giving AI greater agency. The objective is to reduce human effort and handoffs across workflows while shortening cycle times and making organizations more responsive.

As more responsibility is delegated to AI agents, humans’ roles are shifting toward validation, approvals, exception handling and supervision. Authentication, audit trails, thresholds and escalation paths establish the conditions for permitting actions by agents and determining when responsibility returns to people. Enterprises are imposing rules and policy constraints to limit unexpected results. While 79 percent of enterprises plan to increase AI technology spending, improved governance is the most significant change companies say they would make based on their experience so far, ISG says.

“The real measure of agentic AI is not an individual agent’s sophistication, but its ability to move work forward reliably across the enterprise,” said Gowtham Kumar Sampath, ISG principal analyst and lead author of the report. “That requires dependable connections among systems, clear responsibilities and outcomes that can be observed at each step of a workflow.”

The reports also explore other trends in agentic AI services, including the increasing importance of validation, recovery and escalation when actions produce unexpected results and the growing demand for controls on agent access to tools, applications and data.

For more insights into the agentic AI-related challenges faced by enterprises, along with ISG’s advice for addressing them, see the ISG Provider Lens Focal Points briefing here.

The Agentic AI Services report evaluates 60 large and midsize providers across two quadrants: Agentic AI Development and Deployment Services — Large Providers and Agentic AI Development and Deployment Services — Midsize Providers.

The report names Accenture, Accion Labs, Apexon, Ascendion, Atos, Birlasoft, Brillio, Capgemini, Cognizant, Cybage, DXC Technology, EXL, Firstsource, HCLTech, Hexaware, IBM, Infosys, Konecta, NTT DATA, Persistent Systems, Softtek, Sutherland, TCS, Trigent, Unisys and Virtusa as Leaders in one quadrant each.

In addition, Genpact and HTC Global Services are recognized as Rising Stars — companies with a “promising portfolio” and “high future potential” by ISG’s definition — in one quadrant each.

The Agentic AI Services ― Specialists report evaluates 21 providers in one quadrant: Agentic AI Development and Deployment — Specialist Providers.

The report names 66degrees, Fractal Analytics, Lingaro, Network Science, Quantiphi, Straive, Tiger Analytics, Tredence and Version 1 as Leaders in the quadrant.

In addition, Sigmoid is recognized as a Rising Star — a company with a “promising portfolio” and “high future potential” by ISG’s definition — in the quadrant.

In the area of customer experience, HCLTech, Persistent Systems and 66Degrees are named the global ISG CX Star Performers for 2026 among large, midsize and specialist Agentic AI Services providers, respectively. HCLTech, Persistent Systems and 66Degrees earned the highest customer satisfaction scores in ISG's Voice of the Customer survey, part of the ISG Star of Excellence™ program, the premier quality recognition for the technology and business services industry.

Customized versions of the reports are available from Accion Labs, Akkodis, Ascendion, Atos, DXC Technology, EXL, Firstsource, Hexaware, Mindsprint, Orion Innovation, Tiger Analytics, Tredence, Unisys, Version 1 and Virtusa.

The 2026 ISG Provider Lens Agentic AI Services report is available to subscribers or for one-time purchase on this webpage. The Agentic AI Services — Specialists report is available here.

About ISG

ISG (Nasdaq: III) is a global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm. A trusted partner to more than 900 clients, including 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is a long-time leader in technology and business services that is now at the forefront of leveraging AI to help organizations achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm, founded in 2006, is known for its proprietary market data and research, in-depth knowledge and governance of provider ecosystems, and the expertise of its 1,500 professionals worldwide working together to help clients maximize the value of their technology investments.