Tech giant Capgemini predicts autonomous AI workers capable of communicating and collaborating will become a reality by 2025.
The AI-powered agents will operate in a “multi-agent AI” system.
This is a where a network of AI agents works together to solve tasks in a distributed and cooperative manner.
In an interview with CNBC, Pascal Brier, Capgemini’s chief innovation officer said the company is “seeing companies that are discussing those agent technologies.”
He expects applications using multiple autonomous agents to emerge next year.
Capgemini defines AI agents as “technology designed to function independently, plan, reflect, pursue higher-level goals, and execute complex workflows with minimal or limited direct human oversight.”
The agents will work behind the scenes to complete tasks autonomously.
According to Brier, the US is leading in developing this technology, while Europe is trailing.
AI agents can understand, interpret, adapt, and act independently, potentially replacing human workers in specific tasks
In Capgemini’s recent report, “Harnessing the Value of Generative AI,” 82 percent of surveyed companies plan to integrate AI agents within the next one to three years, with only 7 percent having no plans.
This research surveyed over 1,100 companies with revenues exceeding $1 billion.
Brier said AI agents fall into two categories:
- Individual agents that perform tasks independently
- Multi-agent systems, or “agents talking to agents”
For example, a marketing AI agent could autonomously collaborate with a legal AI agent to ensure an ad campaign complies with regulations.
Traditional AI systems follow instructions.
These advanced agents can understand, interpret, adapt, and act independently, potentially replacing human workers in specific tasks.
Brier noted that the first major wave of AI in 2022 focused on understanding prompts and large language models.
The latest phase is about using generative AI to build knowledge engines and employing AI agents as substitutes or co-pilots for various tasks.
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Capgemini’s report highlights that 71 percent of organizations expect AI agents to enhance automation.
However, 64 percent anticipate these agents will relieve human workers from repetitive tasks.
This will allow them to focus on more valuable functions like customer experience.
The adoption of generative AI has increased significantly, with the number of firms integrating it rising from 6 percent in 2023 to 24 percent this year.
However, larger companies are adopting this technology at a much higher rate than smaller firms.
For instance, 10 percent of firms with annual revenues between $1 to $5 billion are implementing generative AI.
49 percent of companies with revenues over $20 billion are doing so.
Industry-wise, 88 percent of aerospace and defense organizations have invested in generative AI, compared to 66 percent in retail.
