PagerDuty has released its 2025 State of Digital Operations Report, which reveals a shift towards a more pragmatic AI adoption among IT leaders, emphasizing return on investment. The report is based on surveys from over 1,100 operations leaders across multiple regions, highlighting that efficiency, security, and innovation are top priorities shaping IT operations in the coming years.

The latest findings indicate a significant improvement in operational resilience and the effective use of automation as organizations adapt to digital transformation. Notably, 64% of surveyed leaders anticipate a rise in IT operations budgets for 2025 to support investments in these areas.

Katherine Calvert, the chief marketing officer at PagerDuty, stated, “PagerDuty’s 2025 State of Digital Operations Report shows that AI has rapidly grown to become the backbone of digital operations, helping reduce toil, improve resilience, and drive tremendous efficiency.” Among the key performance indicators benefiting from AI adoption are operational efficiency gains (37%), improved customer experiences (36%), and better data insights (38%).

The findings also indicate that while AI technology has matured, challenges remain regarding security risks and a talent gap that affects automation adoption. As a result, 71% of respondents expect their security and operations budgets to grow, which is particularly crucial for industries that handle sensitive data.

The study points to the critical role of agentic AI, with 88% of respondents viewing it as integral or peripheral to future IT operations. The complete report, detailing the survey methodology and findings, is available on PagerDuty's website.