It has happened in AI, and it did not even whisper. No, it did not just enhance AI. Now it is going to try to take your job, not sort of, but really.
That has been the plan all along: to bring “AI agents” into the company as its most important corporate tool, tools to not just respond to your questions but to perform actions. Not just to chat like a robot, but to plan actions, to take action, to use tools, to complete actions. It is almost like a colleague!
Now, hold on for a moment as I give it some perspective. Let’s take a moment to consider it: You log into your computer, and instead of being bogged down by emails, spreadsheets, and appointments, an AI agent does all of that. Drafts, data, appointments, or maybe some judgment. Is that really helpful? Yes, but it’s also a little frightening.
That’s not unique to Google, but it’s the most pronounced direction of travel. Agentic AI, the term being used to describe these increasingly autonomous systems, is an accelerating trend.
What’s most interesting here: Google explicitly frames AI agents as a revenue growth vector for its business, particularly its business (enterprise) business. More broadly, AI is increasingly being positioned not just as a productivity enhancer.
And what’s also interesting here: “How much autonomy is too much for an agent?” Regulators are starting to focus on this question.
Plus there is an intensely human component, employment. Identity even. Will there be jobs when AI agents are taking care of them for you? Will we be in charge at all or just in charge of giving orders?
There may well be a role for workers in an economy with highly competent AI agents. Or there may not. Both are likely true. It is the next step of a long march and we don’t know if it will be pleasant. And that’s the story, really.
It’s not just what Google is building, it’s what it means. The next evolution of work will not only be about using AI as a tool, but doing what with it? Alongside it? Instead of us?
Next time someone says AI is going to change work, maybe ask them what they mean, exactly? And maybe ask yourself what kind of change you are up for.
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