Governments eye agentic AI as security worries persist

A global IDC study commissioned by Dell Technologies found governments are moving towards adopting agentic AI. The survey covered 258 senior public sector decision-makers across North America, EMEA, APJ and Latin America.

Some 71% of respondents believe agentic AI can play a significant role in accelerating AI adoption in government. More than half, 51%, plan to invest in the technology within the next 12 to 18 months.

The findings suggest the public sector is shifting from testing AI ideas to preparing for practical deployment. They also show that support for wider use remains tied to security, privacy and data control.

Nearly half of respondents said stronger protections must be in place before adoption can expand. The study found 44% would only accelerate AI use if safeguards, including data security, privacy and sovereignty protections, were firmly established, although another figure in the release put that condition at 46%.

Workforce pressure emerged as a central driver of interest in agentic AI. Around 66% of public sector organisations said technology is evolving faster than their workforce can keep up, while separate materials put the figure at 66.8%.

That skills gap is pushing officials to consider systems that can take on complex administrative and analytical work. Governments are examining whether autonomous tools can reduce pressure on staff and allow employees to focus on other tasks.

Adoption conditions

The survey also found that concerns around sovereign AI remain central to implementation. Some 58% of government leaders identified sovereign data governance, quality and control as among the most critical platform requirements for sovereign AI.

This suggests public sector bodies are placing trusted data arrangements at the centre of their plans. Infrastructure choices, governance frameworks and privacy protections were all presented as necessary conditions for moving ahead at scale.

Collaboration with private sector suppliers was another key theme. Nearly 61% of leaders agreed that public-private partnerships will be critical to accessing the expertise and technology needed for secure AI implementation, although the accompanying summary said nearly 80% saw such collaboration as essential.

The UK was included in the survey, with 37 senior public sector decision-makers taking part. Dell said market conversations are focused on practical AI uses and on establishing the basic conditions for deployment before projects are scaled.

"Across the UK public sector, we are seeing strong interest in AI where there are clear, practical use cases that can deliver value for citizens and ease pressure on resources. Leaders are taking a measured approach. The conversations we are having consistently focus on the need to get the foundations right first, from skills and governance to safeguards, security, and the infrastructure needed to support AI at scale," said Tariq Hussain, Head of UK Public Sector, Dell Technologies.

Global picture

The broader international results suggest governments are no longer treating AI as a distant policy issue. Instead, the focus has shifted to operational readiness and the conditions required for wider deployment across public bodies.

Nicole Jefferson, Vice President of Global Government Affairs at Dell Technologies, said governments are now focused on how to adopt AI securely and at scale. She described infrastructure and data control as the main factors shaping implementation decisions.

"Governments worldwide are no longer asking whether to adopt AI - they're asking how to do it at scale, securely and on their own terms. The agentic AI era is here and operational readiness is the defining challenge. Dell Technologies is committed to simplifying that path - delivering sovereign, seamless and scalable AI infrastructure that gives the public sector the confidence to move from ambition to action," said Jefferson.

IDC linked the findings to staffing pressures and the pace of technical change across public administration. It said governments are increasingly weighing whether autonomous systems can help close skills gaps while fitting within existing security and sovereignty requirements.

"Agentic AI is moving quickly from concept to practical consideration for government and executive decision-makers. The study shows strong momentum, with public sector leaders looking to autonomous systems to help close skills gaps, ease workforce pressure and accelerate AI adoption. However, that momentum is conditional. Governments will only move at scale if they have confidence in the security, privacy, sovereignty and infrastructure foundations underpinning these systems," said Alan Webber, Program Vice President, National Security, Defence and Intelligence, IDC.