The next phase of the AI wave is the arrival of agentic AI – where agents can take action on a user's behalf. That's enough of a big deal, but when the head of a tech giant says agentic is going to replace most SaaS applications, something different might be afoot. Analysts Sheryl Kingstone and Chris Marsh return to the podcast to look at the realities of this suggestion with host Eric Hanselman. Agents could become the new user interface for enterprise data, but there are a set of challenges in making this work. On the one hand, one of the largest issues with autonomous action, accountability for actions taken, is far from settled in both regulatory and legal frameworks. On the other, much of enterprise information is still held in systems where it may be difficult for an agent to reach.

Agentic AI could provide a gateway to the myriad of systems that run the modern business. Opening access to data and the ability to aggregate across an organization could be tremendously powerful. Capturing the business logic that is often embedded in SaaS systems is difficult, but the shift to decoupling through API's and the expansion of systems of delivery could open the door to agentic progress.

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Credits:

• Host/Author: Eric Hanselman
• Guests: Chris Marsh, Sheryl Kingstone
• Producer/Editor: Kyle Cangialosi and Odesha Chan
• Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith