According to business and IT decision makers, organizations that successfully deploy agent-based artificial intelligence (AI) within their enterprise start by rethinking their business processes.
A study of 500 business and IT decision makers who have successfully implemented agent-driven AI into their businesses found that they have a few things in common.
According to Pegasystems research on successful agent AI implementations, successful companies maximized the benefits of their AI projects by fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation.
According to Don Schuerman, chief technology officer at Pega, successful organizations had an enterprise-level strategy and plan for running AI through agents, as well as a top-down strategy.
“There’s still a lot of pressure, especially from boards, to drive technology for technology’s sake rather than concrete solutions to specific business problems,” he said.
More than half (53%) of business leaders said they have made “significant” changes to existing business processes, rethinking everything their organization is doing to get the most benefit from agent deployment.
And 80% of successful organizations agreed that their business and IT teams actively embrace new technologies, innovations, and ideas to explore new possibilities.
According to Pegasystems, which conducted the study in conjunction with research firm Savanta, successful companies were motivated by a desire to produce consistent and predictable results.
Three-quarters (71%) of successful agent AI implementers say one of their top two pre-deployment goals is to automate and simplify complex processes so that they behave consistently and predictably across systems and platforms.
And more than half (58%) reported already seeing predictable results, reduced complexity, and an improved customer experience.
Metrics and strategies
The study found that companies that successfully implemented agent AI projects had clearly defined metrics and strategies.
Approximately 95% of these have a specific enterprise-level strategy and execution plan, and 65% have pre-agreed overarching success metrics tied to business outcomes and regularly reviewed to monitor implementation success.
The winners of the agent era are not the ones who put agents everywhere and whenever possible. They will be the ones who rethink themselves and find new ways to give their clients and their customers what they want.
Don Schuurman, Pegasystems
Almost two-thirds (61%) say they begin agent projects with the expectation that fully integrated will “significantly” improve the customer experience, and more than half (58%) begin these projects believing they can deliver significant, measurable value, including the potential to both improve customer satisfaction and reduce costs.
When asked to name the main barrier to agents achieving positive project outcomes, more than three-quarters (77%) pointed to a lack of sufficient resources.
Three-quarters (75%) agreed that a lack of knowledge and understanding of the benefits agent AI can bring to their business is the biggest barrier to agent AI success.
“We are rapidly reaching a tipping point for agent AI, where adoption rates within organizations are high but maturity is still low,” Schuurman said.
“That value comes from rethinking the way we work and aligning our culture around what AI enables. These changes are what separate the promise of AI technology from the reality of delivering truly transformative benefits,” he added.
“The winners of the agent era will not be the ones who put agents wherever and whenever they can. They will be the ones who reimagine themselves and find new ways to give their clients and their customers what they want,” he said.
