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Since its introduction, artificial intelligence (AI) has grown into a significant part of businesses and individual lives. While most popular resources, such as ChatGPT, are simple automation tools or chatbots, the promise of an AI agent has drawn the most attention. These autonomous digital entities would perform complex tasks without constant human input, drastically shifting the way work is done.
What are AI agents?
In their current state, AI agents are systems that use AI to pursue goals and autonomously complete tasks on behalf of a user. They can make decisions and act on them to achieve their objectives, and have a variety of types and applications. To alleviate workload, improve efficiency, and allocate responsibilities, companies have the option to deploy an AI agent.
Industries already impacted by AI agents
While the technology is effective at cutting down on repetitive, monotonous tasks, AI agents are also designed to handle more strategic processes. From project coordination to multi-app integration, real-time decision-making to customer service, AI agents have numerous real-world uses, including the following examples:
- Marketing: AI agents can manage and analyze campaign performance and provide real-time reports autonomously.
- Customer support: AI agents can handle customer inquiries and resolve issues, intelligently determining when to escalate.
- Software development: AI agents can be employed to test, debug, or even ship code.
- Healthcare: AI agents are already being deployed in hospitals, some as customer support agents and others to help with menial healthcare tasks.
One platform that’s leading the charge to develop effective AI agents is Himala. The company is helping businesses deploy domain-specific AI agents that can learn, adapt, and execute on specific functions.
“Himala is your AI-powered daily briefing,” the company website reads, “tailored to deliver everything you need to own your day.”
Benefits and disadvantages
The role of AI agents in enterprise and personal life is somewhat uncertain, but is becoming far more difficult to ignore. With benefits ranging from scalability to 24/7 availability, from reduced human error to cost-efficiency, there are several clear advantages to implementing AI agents in the workplace or in individual lives.
However, on the other hand, in an article for the Forbes Technology Council, council member Gaurav Pathak had this to say about the concerns surrounding AI technology:
“AI safety considerations include responsibility and accuracy, repeatability and transparency, ethical considerations and privacy, and governance frameworks. I anticipate strong regulatory interventions that could follow high-profile safety incidents, particularly regarding copyright protection for training data.”
AI agents and the future of work
Ultimately, the future of work is likely to have some involvement from AI technology, particularly AI agents. At least in the near future, it is unlikely that an AI agent will be able to replace the human aspect of workflow, but rather serve as an augmenting force. It is possible that teams will be structured around the functionalities of autonomous tools, creating slight shifts in corporate structure. Whatever the case may be, AI agents are changing what it means to work with machines.
In this article:AI, future of work
Written ByJon Stojan
Jon Stojan is a professional writer based in Wisconsin. He guides editorial teams consisting of writers across the US to help them become more skilled and diverse writers. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his wife and children.
