Move over, copilots: it’s time to make room for the AI agents. That has been the message from the software industry in recent days, as some of the biggest companies have lined up behind the latest idea for how to turn generative artificial intelligence into a staple of working life.
Microsoft, Salesforce and Workday this week put agents at the centre of their AI plans, while Oracle and ServiceNow have also used the industry’s annual round of user conferences this month to promote the idea.
AI assistants known as copilots — a term first popularised by Microsoft — have become the software industry’s main response to the generative AI unleashed by the launch of ChatGPT nearly two years ago.
The latest wave of AI agents are designed to go further and take actions on behalf of users. While agents have become the newest front in the battle between tech giants like OpenAI and Google, they have also turned into the software industry’s latest attempt to sell generative AI to business customers.
The evolution reflects both an advance in technology and a new marketing pitch from an industry looking to capitalise on a heavily hyped technology that has yet to impact its revenues significantly.
If true, this move from AI assistants to agents could open doors for a more disruptive phase in generative AI’s evolution. Behind these agentic systems lie advances in technology since chatbots were first introduced. Greater memory enables better context understanding, planning capabilities have improved, and APIs allow actions instead of just information retrieval.
Initially promoted as tools for simple tasks like filling out expenses reports, some companies claim their agents can handle complex tasks or even replace jobs entirely. However, despite all these claims about copilots or AI agents’ potential benefits, there is still skepticism about how they will be monetized or integrated into work processes effectively.
While some believe that existing software powers will be winners in this space due to their established positions and resources, others argue that agent-based systems could cause upheaval by threatening traditional licensing models based on worker counts. Software companies are exploring usage-based pricing tied to query volumes or outcome-based pricing models but admit it’s still early days with uncertain outcomes.
In conclusion (not included), although there is excitement surrounding these advancements in generative AI with agent-based systems taking center stage now; questions remain regarding monetization strategies and potential disruptions within existing business models.
