#7 The shocking hire that beats AI talent: Why Forward Deployed Engineers are suddenly worth more than your entire data science team

🧨 LATEST NEWS

The AI agent security crisis: 96% see the risk, 44% act on it

96% of tech leaders recognize AI agents as growing threats. Yet only 44% have policies to secure them. The gap is even more alarming: 80% of companies report their AI agents have taken unintended actions—unauthorized system access, downloading sensitive data, sharing restricted information.

Here's the kicker: 23% have had AI agents tricked into revealing access credentials. As one CTO put it, "These autonomous agents operate with broad access to sensitive systems and data, yet have limited oversight. That combination of high privilege and low visibility creates a prime target for attackers."

With 98% of organizations planning to expand AI agent use within the year, this security gap isn't just risky—it's catastrophic.

Read the full report: AI agents security research →

🔍 DEEP DIVE

Why enterprise AI dies in the last mile (and how to fix it)

The demos are spectacular. The POCs are promising. The contracts get signed. And then… nothing. Or worse: a slow death by a thousand integration issues.

Here's the dirty secret: AI companies solved the hard technical problem. LLMs work. Models are capable. But they completely underestimated the messy, heterogeneous, barely-documented reality of enterprise infrastructure.

You're not deploying to "the cloud"—you're deploying to mainframes from 1987, SAP instances configured by long-retired consultants, and decades of accumulated technical debt. The AI works. The enterprise environment is the problem.

Enter the Forward Deployed Engineer: the person who actually makes it work in production. As AI capabilities commoditize, deployment excellence is becoming the primary competitive differentiator. This might be your most critical hire.

Read the full analysis: Enterprise AI deployment crisis →

🧨 ENTERPRISE TRENDS

82% weekly usage, ROI finally emerging—but skill gaps threaten everything

Wharton's third annual study reveals the inflection point: 82% use Gen AI at least weekly (46% daily), and 72% are now formally measuring ROI. Three out of four leaders see positive returns.

The trajectory is stunning: from 37% weekly usage in 2023 to 82% in 2025. Spending increased 130% in one year. And 88% plan budget increases for 2026, with 62% planning increases of 10% or more.

But here's the warning buried in the data: 43% see risk of declines in skill proficiency. As one Wharton professor put it, "The challenge isn't replacement, it's readiness. Companies that invest in training, culture, and guardrails will turn Everyday AI into long-term advantage."

About one-third of budgets now go to internal R&D—enterprises are building custom capabilities because buying isn't enough anymore.

Access the full report: Wharton 2025 AI adoption study →

🎙️ THE TAKEAWAY

The AI workforce inflection point is here:

• Security gaps are catastrophic: 96% see agent risks, only 44% protect against them

• Deployment excellence beats technology: FDEs are now more valuable than data scientists

• ROI is proven but fragile: 75% see returns, but 43% fear skill decay

• Budget wars ahead: One-third of spending shifts to internal R&D as enterprises build, not buy

The companies winning aren't the ones with the best AI. They're the ones who can actually deploy it securely, make it work in production, and upskill their workforce faster than AI evolves.

Everyone else? They're falling behind faster than they realize.

That’s it for now, talk soon —Avaamo Team