The future of AI
Where AI is heading: from chatbots to agents and what comes next
In four years AI moved from a chatbot that answers to agents that complete tasks inside company systems on their own. Next come teams of agents, agents acting for customers, and rules that set their limits.
2022 to 2023: a chatbot that can write
ChatGPT arrived at the end of 2022, and within months large language models became a tool for millions of people. AI wrote text, summarised documents and answered questions. The next step, however, always had to be taken by a person.
2024: assistants inside apps
AI moved into the tools people already use: email, office suites, CRM. Companies began connecting AI to their own documents so it answers from verified sources.
2025: the first agents
Models learned to plan and use tools: search a database, fill in a form, send a message. Open standards such as MCP appeared for connecting agents to data and applications. It also became clear that most pilot projects never reach production, mainly because of unclear value and data that is not ready.
2026: agents in production
Agents are getting their own identity, permissions and audit trail. Google launched an agent in Gemini with its own work account, Workday is buying an identity platform for agents, and security vendors are adding kill switches. Back in 2025 Gartner estimated that by the end of 2026 about 40% of enterprise applications would include task-specific agents.
What comes next
- Teams of agents. Instead of one agent, a set of specialists: one reads documents, another checks, a third replies. A coordinating agent and a person keep them in line.
- Customers’ agents. Customers will shop and file complaints through their personal agents. Standards for how such an agent signs in with a business are emerging.
- Smaller, cheaper models. For specific tasks, smaller models are enough, and they can run on your own servers.
- Rules. The AI Act in the EU and growing pressure for regulation elsewhere. Companies with control and a record of every step from the start will win.
What it means for your company
You do not need to wait for a “big AI project”. An agent for one process can be built in weeks, a prototype in days. Companies that start now will have the data, rules and experience in place when agents become standard.