CEOs say they're getting gains from AI agents. A true transformation is harder.

Tim Walsh, CEO and chair of KPMG US, said companies often need to rethink how they operate to get the most from AI.

Braedon Fox/PGA of America via Getty Images AI agents are delivering gains, though only 9% of CEOs called them "transformational" in a new KPMG US survey.

Using AI effectively is "not plug and play," Tim Walsh, the firm's US CEO, told Business Insider.

Most leaders surveyed said they expect to increase hiring as AI changes the skills they need.

Leaders of big US companies say AI agents are starting to produce gains, yet few report that the technology is fundamentally reshaping their businesses.

KPMG US released a survey on Thursday of 400 CEOs of major US-based companies.

About four in 10 said AI agents had delivered significant improvements in efficiency or growth, while a similar share reported moderate effects in targeted uses.

Yet only 9% described agents, which are designed to carry out tasks, as "transformational" for their organizations today.

Tim Walsh, CEO and chair of KPMG US, told Business Insider that there's a gap between using AI and the tricky work of overhauling how a company operates.

"It's not plug and play," he said.

He said he expected the share of leaders reporting that agents are transforming their businesses to rise over the next six to 12 months.

Most expect to increase head count Incorporating AI is also reshaping what companies need from workers .

The survey signaled that CEOs don't see the technology simply as a tool for trimming payrolls.

About nine out of 10 chiefs said they expected to increase head count over the next three years.