“Your Next Employee May Not Be Human” As Google Bets Everything on AI Agents to Power the Office
It happened to the AI, and it didn't whisper. No, it didn't just improve AI. Now it will try to take your job, not kind of, but really.
That was the plan all along: to bring “AI agents” into the company as its most important business tool, tools that not only answer your questions but also take actions. Not just talking like a robot, but planning actions, taking action, using tools, completing actions. Almost like your partner!
Now, hold on as I give you some perspective. Let's take a moment to consider it: You log on to your computer, and instead of being overwhelmed by emails, spreadsheets, and appointments, an AI agent does it all. Drafts, data, appointments, or maybe some judgment. Does that really help? Yes, but it's also a little scary.
That's not just for Google, but it's the most prominent way to go. Agentic AI, the term used to describe these increasingly autonomous systems, is a fast-moving trend.
The most interesting thing here: Google is clearly positioning AI agents as a way to increase the revenue of its business, especially its business (enterprise). More broadly, AI is increasingly being positioned not just as a productivity enhancer.
And what is also interesting here: “How much autonomy is too great for an agent?” Regulators are beginning to focus on this question.
And there is the most important part of a person, work. Identity even. Will there be jobs where AI agents take care of you? Will we be in charge at all or will we be in charge by giving orders?
There may be a role for workers in the economy with highly skilled AI agents. Or there may not be. Both are probably true. It is the next step in a long march, we don't know if it will be pleasant. And that's the story, really.
It's not just what Google builds, it's what it says. The next evolution of work will not only be about using AI as a tool, but what to do with it? Next to it? Instead of us?
The next time someone says AI will change work, maybe ask them what they mean, really? And you probably wonder what kind of change you expect.
