5 AI agent statistics to help you build agents in 2026
Blog post from Merge
Merge's blog post discusses the growing trend of companies adopting AI agents, with a focus on the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and its role in agentic integrations. The article highlights that businesses are more inclined to develop internal agents due to their perceived value and the increasing allocation of budgets towards internal AI initiatives. A significant portion of companies plans to integrate their agents with MCP servers, despite existing security concerns and technical challenges, leading many to outsource these integrations. Additionally, the integration of agents with chat platforms and systems of record is emphasized as crucial for providing comprehensive context and enhancing the agents' utility. The discussion underscores the importance of strategic decision-making in leveraging AI agents to gain a competitive advantage, supported by insights from a 2026 state of agentic integrations report.