Agents on a leash: Agentic AI remains mostly single-agent and monitored at work​​​​‌‍​‍​‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍​‍​‍​​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‍​‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‌‌​​‍‍‌​‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‍​‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌‍‌‍‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‍‍‌‍​‌‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌‍​‌​​​​‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‍‌‍​‌‌​‍‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌​‍‌‌‍​‍​​​​‌‍​​​​‍‌​‌​​​‌‍‌​‌‍‌​​‌‌​​​‌‍‌‍​​‌​​‌‌​​‍​‍​​‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍‌‌‌​​‌‍‌​‌‌​​‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌‍​​‌‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​​‌​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍‌‍​‌‍‌‌​​‍‍‌​‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‍​‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌‍‌‍‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‍‍‌‍​‌‍​‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌‍​‌​​​​‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‍‌‍​‌‌​‍‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌​‍‌‌‍​‍​​​​‌‍​​​​‍‌​‌​​​‌‍‌​‌‍‌​​‌‌​​​‌‍‌‍​​‌​​‌‌​​‍​‍​​‍‌‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍‌‌‌​​‌‍‌​‌‌​​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌​‌​​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‍​‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​​‍​‍‌‌

May 27, 2026 Agents on a leash: Agentic AI remains mostly single-agent and monitored at work​​​​‌ ‍ ​‍​‍‌‍ ‌ ​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌ ‌‍‍‌‌‍ ‍​‍​‍​ ‍‍​‍​‍‌ ​ ‌‍​‌‌‍ ‍‌‍‍‌‌ ‌​‌ ‍‌​‍ ‍‌‍‍‌‌‍ ​‍​‍​‍ ​​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌ ​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‍​‍​ ‍‍​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌ ‌​‌ ‌​‌ ​​‌ ​ ​ ‍‍​‍ ​‍ ‌‍​ ‌‍ ‌‌ ​ ​‍ ‍‌ ​ ‌ ‌​‌‍​‌‌‍​ ‌‍‍ ‌‍ ‌ ‌‍‌‍‌‌‌ ​‍‌‍‌‍‌‍ ​‌‍ ‌ ‌ ​‍ ‍‌‍​ ‌‍ ​‍ ‌‍‍‌‌‍ ‍‌ ‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍ ‍‌ ‌​​‍ ‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌ ‌​​‍ ‌‍ ‌‌‍ ‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​ ‌‌ ​​‌ ​‍‌‍‌‌‌ ​ ‌‍‌‌‌‍ ‍‌ ‌​‌‍​‌‌ ‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍ ‌‍ ‍​ ‍ ‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​ ‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌‍​‌​ ​ ​ ​‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‍ ‌​ ​ ‌‍​‌‌‍‌‍​ ‌‌​‍ ‌​ ‌​​ ‌ ​ ‌​‌‍‌‌​‍ ‌‌‍​‍​ ​​​ ‌‍​ ​​​‍ ‌​ ‌ ​ ​​‌‍‌​‌‍‌​​ ‌‌​ ​ ​ ‌‍‌‍​ ​ ‌​​ ‌‌​ ​‍​ ‍​​ ‍ ‌ ‌​‌ ‍‌‌ ​​‌‍‌‌​ ‌‌‍​‍‌‍ ​‌‍ ‌‍‌ ‌‌​​‌‍ ‌ ​ ‌ ‌​​ ‍ ‌ ​​‌‍​‌‌ ‌​‌‍‍​​ ‌‌ ‌​‌‍‍‌‌ ‌​‌‍ ​‌‍‌‌​ ‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌ ​ ‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ ​‍‌‍ ​​ ‌‌‍‍​‌ ‌​‌ ‌​‌ ​​‌ ​ ​‍‌‌​ ​ ‌​​‌​‍‌‌​ ​‍‌​‌‍​‍‌‌​ ​‍‌​‌‍‌‍​ ‌‍ ‌‌ ​ ​‍ ‍‌ ​ ‌ ‌​‌‍​‌‌‍​ ‌‍‍ ‌‍ ‌ ‌‍‌‍‌‌‌ ​‍‌‍‌‍‌‍ ​‌‍ ‌ ‌ ​‍ ‍‌‍​ ‌‍ ​‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​ ‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌‍​‌​ ​ ​ ​‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‍ ‌​ ​ ‌‍​‌‌‍‌‍​ ‌‌​‍ ‌​ ‌​​ ‌ ​ ‌​‌‍‌‌​‍ ‌‌‍​‍​ ​​​ ‌‍​ ​​​‍ ‌​ ‌ ​ ​​‌‍‌​‌‍‌​​ ‌‌​ ​ ​ ‌‍‌‍​ ​ ‌​​ ‌‌​ ​‍​ ‍​​‍‌‍‌ ‌​‌ ‍‌‌ ​​‌‍‌‌​ ‌‌‍​‍‌‍ ​‌‍ ‌‍‌ ‌‌​​‌‍ ‌ ​ ‌ ‌​​‍‌‍‌ ​​‌‍​‌‌ ‌​‌‍‍​​ ‌‌ ‌​‌‍‍‌‌ ‌​‌‍ ​‌‍‌‌​‍‌‍‌ ​​‌‍‌‌‌ ​‍‌ ​ ‌ ​​‌‍‌‌‌‍​ ‌ ‌​‌‍‍‌‌ ‌‍‌‍‌‌​ ‌‌ ​​‌ ‌‌‌‍​‍‌‍ ​‌‍‍‌‌ ​ ‌‍‍​‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​​‍​‍‌ ‌ AI’s impact on software engineering continues, and more and more of that AI is packaged as agents as results from our newest pulse survey show agentic usage has almost doubled (59%) since we last asked about it in our annual Developer Survey​​​​‌ ‍ ​‍​‍‌‍ ‌ ​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌ ‌‍‍‌‌‍ ‍​‍​‍​ ‍‍​‍​‍‌ ​ ‌‍​‌‌‍ ‍‌‍‍‌‌ ‌​‌ ‍‌​‍ ‍‌‍‍‌‌‍ ​‍​‍​‍ ​​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌ ​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‍​‍​ ‍‍​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌ ‌​‌ ‌​‌ ​​‌ ​ ​ ‍‍​‍ ​‍ ‌‍​ ‌‍ ‌‌ ​ ​‍ ‍‌ ​ ‌ ‌​‌‍​‌‌‍​ ‌‍‍ ‌‍ ‌ ‌‍‌‍‌‌‌ ​‍‌‍‌‍‌‍ ​‌‍ ‌ ‌ ​‍ ‍‌‍​ ‌‍ ​‍ ‌‍‍‌‌‍ ‍‌ ‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍ ‍‌ ‌​​‍ ‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌ ‌​​‍ ‌‍ ‌‌‍ ‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​ ‌‌ ​​‌ ​‍‌‍‌‌‌ ​ ‌‍‌‌‌‍ ‍‌ ‌​‌‍​‌‌ ‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍ ‌‍ ‍​ ‍ ‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​ ‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌‍​‌​ ​ ​ ​‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‍ ‌​ ​ ‌‍​‌‌‍‌‍​ ‌‌​‍ ‌​ ‌​​ ‌ ​ ‌​‌‍‌‌​‍ ‌‌‍​‍​ ​​​ ‌‍​ ​​​‍ ‌​ ‌ ​ ​​‌‍‌​‌‍‌​​ ‌‌​ ​ ​ ‌‍‌‍​ ​ ‌​​ ‌‌​ ​‍​ ‍​​ ‍ ‌ ‌​‌ ‍‌‌ ​​‌‍‌‌​ ‌‌‍​‍‌‍ ​‌‍ ‌‍‌ ‌‌​​‌‍ ‌ ​ ‌