On 17 March, thirty partners from LARSEN Digital Leaders gathered at the Instituto Cervantes in Madrid for a meeting that we at RocaSalvatella prepared jointly with Larsen Digital Leaders. The goal? To try to anticipate the immediate future of their organisations in the midst of the era of artificial intelligence. 

The session, entitled "(Crazy) Vision of the Future", was led by Josep Salvatella, CEO of RocaSalvatella, and guided by Imma Haro, Business Development Director, alongside Mona Biegstraaten, Founder & MD of LARSEN Digital Leaders.

The conclusion was unanimous. We are not talking about a tool; we are facing a structural change in how work is designed, executed, and governed. 

The real change is not co-pilots: it is agents

Many organisations continue to interpret artificial intelligence as a productivity tool. This is understandable, but the significant leap is not there; it lies in the emergence of systems capable of executing complete processes, with minimal human intervention.

Today we co-exist with three levels of maturity in artificial intelligence that are often confused:

— Assistants: they automate specific tasks under constant human supervision.
— Agents: they execute complete workflows with minimal intervention.
— Agentic AI: networks of agents capable of planning, learning, and adapting to complex processes.

The paradigm shift is profound: it is no longer about using AI, but about managing systems that work by themselves. That distinction, which seems subtle, changes everything.

The CIO evolves: from technology operator to intelligence orchestrator

Technology leaders foresee an accelerated adoption of hybrid human-agent models. But few organisations are prepared to operate intelligence systems that continuously evolve. This mismatch has a name, and it is called the adaptability crisis. The future is being designed while the fundamentals of the present are still being consolidated. The risk is no longer technological. It is organisational.

In this context, the IT function shifts its focus from delivering solutions to designing intelligent ecosystems. This CIO is evolving towards an intelligence orchestrator profile, responsible for coordinating how knowledge flows between humans and systems, ensuring AI governance, driving cultural adoption, and connecting technological capability with business outcomes.

The competitive advantage will not lie in the acquired model, but in the organisational capacity to integrate and exploit it. 

Employees as Builders: software is no longer the exclusive territory of IT

One of the most disruptive changes is not just about technology, but about who uses it.

The development of digital solutions is progressively moving out of traditional IT areas. The trend known as Employees as Builders anticipates that a growing share of corporate software will be created by business profiles supported by low-code platforms, automation, and intelligent agents.

This redefines the internal balance: development is democratised, and governance becomes critical. IT stops being the builder to become the architect of the system.

The challenge is no longer to create technology, but to make it sustainable, secure, and scalable.

The real challenge is not technological: it is economic and organisational

When analysing the perception of technology leaders, recurring concepts emerge: speed, uncertainty, opportunity... and economic pressure.

The model based on recurring consumption of cloud services is increasing operational expenditure without guaranteeing an immediate return. This context demands a thorough review of the technological investment model.

The strategic question is no longer which technology to adopt, but how to govern its economic and operational impact.

What we recommend at RocaSalvatella

The transition towards agentic organisations is not resolved by incorporating tools. It is resolved by making structural decisions that prepare the organisation to operate with autonomous intelligence.

At RocaSalvatella, a boutique business-focused consultancy, we help organisations understand their starting point, identify areas, and develop the capabilities and habits needed to turn digital vision into real impact.

Artificial intelligence is not only transforming technology,it is redesigning the organisational architecture. And the competitive differentiator will be in whoever is capable of governing it best.

Download the full report on the future of companies with AI

Download the full report on the future of companies and of the IT function,  as well as the survey conducted among technology leaders by filling out the form.

This transformation is no longer just beginning; it is underway. The difference will be made by the decisions taken now.