Can AI agents help businesses?

The momentum around using AI has stepped up a gear as advancements of this technology become more powerful. When AI was first introduced, it focused on traditional machine learning, which provided predictions based on structured data. Next came deep learning, which could extract the features and patterns from unstructured data such as images, audio and text to make predictions. The biggest disruptor, however, was the move to Generative AI or GenA, which generates content, audio and images as opposed to ‘predicting’. Whilst GenAI has been experimented with and adopted by businesses over the past two years, AI agents is the latest system making an impact. We look at what makes AI agents different and how they can help businesses.

What are AI agents?
AI agents are systems that can interact with their environment and data to make decisions and take action to meet a determined goal, such as making a table reservation or booking a meeting. The goal of which is determined by a person (user). Over time, AI agents learn from their experiences and the information they receive to improve and become smarter. They can also make updates in environments that continue to change.

How are AI agents being used?
Early this year UiPath, an automation and AI software company, released a report of a survey on agentic AI (the field that covers AI agents). The survey was conducted with 250 US IT executives at large organizations. They found that 37% of respondents are already using agentic AI and 93% are interested in exploring it. The report also provided insights into where these businesses are seeing opportunities for the technology. The responses included: improved oversight of business workflows; increased integration among applications; and the automation of complex business workflows.

One company already offering AI agent-based tools to help enhance business processes is Salesforce, the popular customer relationship management software. In late 2024, the business released two AI sales agents - Einstein Sales Development Rep (SDR) Agent and Einstein Sales Coach Agent - to help sales teams accelerate growth. Einstein SDR engages with leads, answers queries and books meetings in a natural language, whilst Einstein Sales Coach Agent can train sales teams by engaging them in roleplays with sellers and simulating a buyer discovery, pitch or negotiation call. These capabilities help improve team effectiveness, while eliminating repetitive tasks that would take up a sales team’s time, allowing them to focus on more important tasks.

Another AI agent tool that has become more widely available is OpenAI’s Operator Agent, which rolled out in early 2025 as part of its pro subscription. The agent takes instructions, leverages the browser and starts automating these activities for the user. Operator Agent has the ability to book appointments, send messages and schedule meetings.

Can AI agents help businesses?
AI agents can help businesses through their ability to take human direction and automate processes, however there are still obstacles that need to be considered around data privacy and ethics. Because of the nature of AI agents, organizations need to become familiar with the technology, understand any limitations and continuously train them, so they can adapt to the environment in line with business goals, policies and regulations.

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