AI agents can now understand a goal, automatically develop a multi-step plan, and take action for you – all under your guidance and oversight.
We are moving away from the unpredictable, looking to the future, and focusing on delivering tangible business value right now. Today, Google Cloud dropped its 2026 AI agent report, along with companion NotebookLM. Here's a look at five key trends that define where agents will reshape business and drive new value in the coming year.
1. AI agents will help everyone be more productive.
Employees will now be able to delegate tasks to different AI agents to achieve their goals, changing their daily work from routine to high-level strategic direction. AI is already becoming a key driver of work from the start: More than 57,000 team members at Telus use AI regularly and save 40 minutes with AI collaboration. Meanwhile, Suzano, the world's largest pulp producer, developed an AI agent with Gemini Pro that translates natural language queries into SQL code — resulting in a 95% reduction in query time for 50,000 employees.
2. Agent workflow will become a core part of business processes.
Multiple agents in a system can interact, coordinate and communicate with each other to perform complex, multi-step processes. This sophisticated automation goes far beyond chatbots to answer questions, so AI can support specific tasks with higher business value.
By 2026, we will see businesses start connecting agents according to their needs and requirements, driving the entire workflow from start to finish. For example, Salesforce and Google Cloud are building cross-platform AI agents using the Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol – a step toward creating an open, interoperable foundation for agent businesses.
3. Agents will bring a five-star experience to everyone's life.
The era of scripted chatbots and reactive customer service is coming to an end. In the coming year, we will see agents accelerating this change – establishing hyperpersonalized, “concierge-style” service as the new standard of customer interaction.
For example, global manufacturer Danfoss uses AI agents to automate email-based order processing, automating 80% of transaction decisions and reducing average customer response from 42 hours to near real-time.
4. AI agents will charge more for security jobs.
In the modern defense operations center (SOC), human analysts are often overwhelmed by the constant stream of data and alerts. AI agents give security teams the added power and coverage needed to identify and respond to threats more quickly. Macquarie Bank provides effective, efficient fraud protection and digital self-service capabilities with Google Cloud AI, directing 38% more users to self-service and reducing false positives by 40%.
We predict that 2026 will be the year that AI agents will take over the most taxing security work, automating manual tasks such as alert checks and investigations. This will allow human analysts to devote their focus to their most important work: hunting threats and developing next-generation defenses.
5. Companies will double down on training AI-ready employees.
Adopting the latest AI technology and tools is only the first step. The biggest challenge – and the most important factor in success – is people. By 2026, organizations will move from buying AI to building an AI-ready workforce, from one-off training to building flexible, continuous learning programs. These programs provide hands-on practice in real-world situations, allowing employees to build the AI skills they need at their own pace and schedule.
Check out the full report for more details on AI agent trend predictions for 2026.
