ADVERTISEMENTWhile automation and agentic AI are reducing billing hours, analysts argue the shift is more of a transition than a tectonic break — at least in the near term. As AI tools take on coding, testing and debugging tasks, the manpower intensity of projects is declining. “In the past, if a software testing project required 100 engineers for six months, the company billed for those hours. Today, using agentic AI (AI that can autonomously code and debug), that project might only require 10 engineers and be finished in two months,” a senior executive of an IT services firm explained. Their understanding of client guardrails, databases, applications and sector-specific compliance gives them an edge in linking legacy estates with AI and agentic AI.

Source: The Telegraph February 18, 2026 00:28 UTC