AI Agents are already here: why businesses must act now
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Three years ago, AI agents were barely on our radar. Today, they’re reshaping how we work, decide, and innovate. At the recent JADS event “AI Agents, your new colleagues?”, Dr. Frieda van Belle, strategy advisor and lecturer at JADS Professional Education, made one thing crystal clear: AI agents aren’t coming, they’re already here. The critical question now isn’t if you’ll use agents, but how.
Here’s why Frieda believes the time to engage is now, and what every decision-maker should know:
AI: More accessible than ever
While AI may once have been the domain of technical experts, today GenAI puts powerful tools in everyone’s hands. As Frieda reminded us:
“I don’t even need to code anymore, I just talk, and things happen.”
No need to build from scratch. Just describe what you want, and let GenAI handle the complexities. This opens the door for marketers, product managers, educators, and anyone with a question to start creating.
AI Agents: beyond smart assistants
AI agents are applications powered by artificial intelligence that make decisions and perform tasks independently, with minimal human oversight[1].
“I always explain it to my children as ChatGPT with hands and feet. It can actually do things.” Frieda said.
Key characteristics include:
- Autonomous – Act on their own
- Goal-Oriented – Solve problems rather than follow scripts
- Tool-Using – Interact across various applications
- Adaptive – Learn and evolve from experiences
This shift represents a profound change: moving from reactive digital tools to proactive digital teammates.
How AI agents work
Most people imagine AI agents as just smarter chatbots. But under the hood, agents follow a structured process that mirrors human behavior:
- Perception – They take in information (text, sound, sensor data).
- Cognition – They use memory, knowledge, and decision logic to think.
- Action – They execute tasks, either digitally or in the physical world.
This architecture is what enables agents to do more than respond, they can reason, act, and improve. And every part of the AI agent architecture — from perception to cognition to action — is progressing fast.
What’s stopping companies from adopting AI?
Despite the potential, organizations frequently encounter barriers. But what’s stopping them from doing more with AI? The answers were honest, and familiar:
- “I don’t know where to start.”
- “It’s hard to define real business value.”
- “My team is split between early adopters and those who prefer traditional methods.”
- My data and governance are not good enough yet to do this in a responsible way
These are not new problems – we have been tackling these challenges for decades. Leadership, communication, and trust are more critical than ever.
Act now: experiment and prepare for the AI Future
Frieda’s call to action is clear: “Stop watching. Get your hands dirty and get your feet in the mud. Begin experimenting with simple AI agents.”
Within a couple of years, specialized AI agents will likely replace individual apps, managing tasks from grocery shopping to customer service. Beyond individual tasks, entire organizations may soon run autonomously with AI agents. Early experiments show these AI-run companies can make faster and better decisions than traditional human teams. Currently technology is not yet there (the current agents are more like smart automation than autonomous agents). But unless you start understanding the impact of agents now, you will be behind before you realize.
Final thought: don’t get left behind
We asked Frieda what is one take away you want your audience to walk away with?
“Agents are going to be there sooner than we think. We’re quite close already with having the brain for the agents developed. So the question is not whether we think agents are a hype or whether we like the idea that agents are going to play a role in business. We’ve already moved past that point. The question is, given that it’s coming, what do we want to do with it as a company? Are we going to sit back and be fast followers? Or are we going to run ahead? And if we’re going to run ahead, what problem are we going to solve with agents? Do we have the right data and the right governance to do that in a responsible way?”
As the session wrapped up, participants shared how the day had shifted their thinking and in some cases, their next steps. Here’s what a few attendees said:
“I really want to experiment with it. I had been thinking about it before, but did not start until today. Frieda inspired me to start and build a simple AI agent.”
“Really inspiring speaker with a lot of energy and a lecture that you could follow easily.”
“Start experimenting. Start becoming aware of what agents can and cannot do at this stage. Start thinking about how it can make your life, or at least your work, easier. And from there, of course, you can start looking into how it can be implemented at an organizational level.”
This event was a short preview of what JADS can inspire in your organisation. Whether you’re just beginning to explore AI or ready to apply it in your organization, our programs offer the tools and guidance to help you move forward. We’d love to welcome you at JADS! Explore JADS Professional programs here.
This article was created by Datory in collaboration with JADS Professional Education, as a recap of the AI Agents event.
[1] https://www.sap.com/resources/what-are-ai-agents
