Enterprises across the globe are pouring an estimated $1.5 trillion into artificial intelligence, and the results are already significant: AI has added more than $400 billion to the U.S. economy alone. Yet beneath these headline numbers lies a less celebrated truth. Most GenAI projects (95%) are failing to deliver a return on investment.

This disconnect isn’t a technology problem. It’s a transformation problem. And the fix is not coming from the boardroom or the IT department. It’s coming from the cubicles, the customer service desks, and the HR teams—the employees who know firsthand where bottlenecks and opportunities exist.

THE BOTTOM-UP AI MOVEMENT

New data, based on a survey of 200 IT executives at billion-dollar U.S. companies that we conducted, reveals a quiet but historic shift in how innovation happens. For the first time, non-technical employees are driving the adoption of agentic AI, systems that can act on their own, make decisions, and automate complex workflows, at a scale we’ve never seen before.

A staggering 91% of executives say that non-technical staff are playing a larger role in AI projects than they did in any previous wave of technology adoption. These aren’t hypothetical use cases or innovation theater projects. The majority (78%) of these initiatives are laser-focused on solving real, persistent, everyday challenges. From automating repetitive workflows to surfacing insights buried in mountains of data across numerous systems, employees are using AI to reduce their digital friction and return their focus to projects they are passionate about and drive the business forward.

The results of our research—78% of leaders reported that agentic AI has already caused a significant transformation in at least one part of their operations. This isn’t about incremental change; it’s about reimagining how work gets done.

A CHANGING CORPORATE POWER STRUCTURE

This shift isn’t just technical. It’s changing the structure of organizations. For decades, IT departments have been the gatekeepers of new technology, often operating as the “tallest tower” in the enterprise. But the data shows that it is changing fast. Only 38% of executives now believe IT will be the department most responsible for AI innovation in the next three years, based on our survey results.

The old notion of shadow IT, where teams bypass official channels to use their own tools, has long been viewed as risky or even reckless. But now, this approach is being recognized for what it really is: A sign that employees across the business are hungry for solutions, and they are willing to take the initiative to get them.

Other business teams, such as operations, human resources, and customer service, are stepping up as leaders in AI-driven change. This redistribution of power is making organizations more agile and responsive, and it’s opening new avenues for career advancement. Four in ten executives expect AI to create upward mobility for all employees, not just technical specialists.

THE HUMAN SIDE OF AI TRANSFORMATION

This bottom-up shift presents new cultural complexities. While 89% of employees are receptive to AI tools, there’s a strong preference for integration into existing workflows. Our survey reveals that 65% favor AI enhancing current processes over forcing a complete overhaul.

This approach highlights a key tension: incremental improvement versus bold transformation. The most forward-thinking companies are designing AI around people, not the other way around, and as one IT executive put it in their response to our survey, “[Agentic AI is] going to challenge the way we work today, but also open a new front door to smarter, faster, and more collaborative ways of working.”

Leaders must recognize the cultural and structural impact of agentic AI, and the companies that succeed will be those that embrace these shifts while keeping people and purpose firmly at the center. Balancing immediate adoption with the potential for true innovation requires a delicate touch. Leaders need to meet employees where they are while inspiring them to envision a future in which AI amplifies their capabilities, enabling them to focus on supervising systems and applying judgments in complex scenarios.

WHAT COMES NEXT

First, leaders should recognize that the most successful AI initiatives aren’t handed down from the top, they bubble up from the front lines. Organizations that empower employees to identify problems and experiment with solutions will outpace those that rely on mandates and one-size-fits-all platforms.

Second, the IT department’s role must evolve. Rather than acting as a gatekeeper, IT can become an enabler, providing guardrails, tools, and support while giving other departments the freedom to innovate.

Finally, leaders must address the cultural hurdles that come with any major change. That means investing in education, building trust in new tools, and ensuring that every employee, regardless of technical background, has a chance to participate in the AI future.

AI’s real promise isn’t in algorithms or hardware. It’s in unleashing the creativity, expertise, and ambition of every person in the organization. The future of enterprise AI is bottom-up, not top-down. And the companies that embrace this shift will be the ones that truly transform.

Bhavin Shah is the CEO of Moveworks.

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