Agentic AI: Next big leap in workplace automation

The next time a customer calls a healthcare helpline or seeks assistance for a delayed food delivery, they may unknowingly be speaking with an artificial intelligence system rather than a human representative, as corporations rapidly adopt AI agent technology.

- Vishal Mathur

NEW DELHI:

Major technology companies including Zoom, Adobe, Microsoft, Cisco and Atlassian are making a significant pivot towards "agentic AI"—systems that can autonomously work towards goals with human-like intelligence. "AI workers with human level intelligence," is how Ram Menon, CEO and co-founder of Indian tech company Avaamo, describes this evolution. According to Menon, agentic AI operates with proactiveness at its core, driven by autonomous capabilities to "perceive, reason, act and learn" towards prescribed outcomes.

Industry developments showcase this trend's momentum. Adobe has developed 10 purpose-built AI agents for enterprises, while Zoom has incorporated agentic capabilities into its platform. Microsoft has created sales agents designed to research leads and contact customers on behalf of businesses. Nvidia is collaborating with Wipro to develop agentic AI for government applications.