What is an AI agent?
An AI agent is a type of software that performs tasks independently. For example, it can act as a digital assistant that gathers and analyzes data to answer questions or catch inconsistencies in your documents. Unlike AI models that focus on specific tasks like generating text or recognizing images, agents combine multiple models to manage processes without human intervention. They can automate your time-consuming tasks and pull insights from content.
Let’s review what else these AI-powered tools can do to increase productivity and drive value to your organization.
Key highlights:
- An AI agent allows you to automate time-consuming tasks, make faster decisions and increase overall efficiency
- By implementing a no-code platform for AI agent development, you can create and customize programs that scale with your business
- With Box, you streamline the creation of AI agents and automate workflows with advanced AI capabilities tailored to your business needs
Evolution of AI agents
AI agents fall under the category of agentic AI, a branch of artificial intelligence that relies on machine learning (ML) and other technologies like natural language processing (NLP) to understand information and make decisions based on context, past data, and set guidelines.
As AI evolves, these agents shift from basic task performers to intelligent partners that can automate complex workflows. Forget the early chatbots with limited responses; advanced systems can now analyze nuanced interactions and deliver personalized recommendations.
Gartner reports that 33% of enterprise software applications will include agentic AI by 2028, up from less than 1% in 2024. This jump means businesses are increasingly adopting Intelligent Content Management and AI-powered solutions that interpret context and learn from experience to refine processes.
Benefits of AI agents for a business
By implementing AI agents for business, you can reap benefits that include:
- Enhanced task automation: Intelligent agents can speed up processes, such as AI content discovery, and handle manual tasks like data entry, allowing your team to find information faster and reducing errors.
- Improved customer service: An AI agent can support customers by answering queries and addressing issues faster than human agents. With 24/7 assistance, you can increase satisfaction rates and create more personalized customer experiences.
- Increased productivity: A McKinsey report shows that AI-powered agents reduce review cycle times by 20 to 60% by generating high-quality content. Automating your digital workflows with AI also allows you to extract insights from large datasets in seconds, saving teams hours of manual analysis.
Are you new to enterprise workflow automation? Our guide makes it easy to get started.
Types of AI agents
The types of AI agents vary based on the tasks they perform, the complexity of their actions, and the technologies they use. Here’s a breakdown of the most common categories.
Type of AI agent | Function | Example |
Simple-reflex agents | Make decisions based on pre-established rules and don’t learn from experience | A thermostat that adjusts the heating by turning it on or off when it reaches preset temperature limits |
Model-based reflex agents | Track changes over time to make more informed decisions | A self-driving car that uses sensors and maps to navigate |
Goal-based agents | Take action to achieve specific objectives | A conversational AI chatbot helping users resolve technical issues |
Utility-based agents | Identify possible actions and optimize decision-making | Cloud-based platforms that answer questions based on documents and generate AI summaries |
How do AI agents work?
AI agents work by analyzing data and taking actions based on that data. Steps include:
- Data collection: AI extracts information from databases, cloud storage solutions, and other sources, depending on continuous data streams to stay informed.
- Data processing: AI-powered agents use NLP and ML to recognize patterns, detect anomalies, or extract key insights from data — including unstructured data, such as images, videos, and online documents.
- Decision-making: Agents determine the best course of action based on predefined rules or predictive models. For example, your marketing team might use an agent to review a blog and confirm if it meets brand standards or needs changes.
- Task execution: That’s when AI performs the chosen task. Agents’ actions range from drafting reports to adjusting inventory levels. These programs can suggest revisions to your contracts, training materials, or technical documentation.
- Continuous learning: Some AI agents are capable of learning by analyzing past actions and results, and refining the algorithm over time. For example, a sales agent might track which pitches get higher customer engagement and tweak the strategy to improve results.
Understand how AI agents work within an organization.
Best AI agent use cases
According to the Capgemini Research Institute, 71% of organizations predict that AI agents will help them drive higher levels of automation in their workflows. The good news is that you can create multiple agents to tackle different challenges across your organization.
Let these examples of AI agents inspire you.
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Explore new ways to use AI for your business success.
Building AI agents: Best practices to kickstart your journey
We’ve put together best practices to make AI agents a part of your business strategy.
1. Create a comprehensive data strategy before creating AI agents
Agentic AI systems depend on high-quality information for accurate decision-making, so your first step involves identifying available data sources to support your AI initiatives. Key to this effort is having a centralized content platform that AI agents can work from and integrating all of your sources of content with this platform. Without cloud app integration, various teams may miss out on insights that could improve customer support.
Building AI agents also involves aligning your specific goals with your overall enterprise AI strategy. For example, if your main objective with AI is to increase efficiency, your new customer service agent can focus on reducing query response times and prioritizing tickets based on urgency.
2. Use a no-code platform for AI agent development
A no-code AI agent builder enables you to develop, test, and deploy agents without writing code. Some platforms offer a friendly, intuitive interface where users can create workflows and train these systems with minimal technical knowledge.
When selecting an agent builder, consider a no-code platform with integration capabilities and flexible storage. Remember that agents might need to handle increasing amounts of data and interactions as your business grows, and you don’t want to face disruptions because of limited cloud storage capacity.
Discover the benefits of scalable cloud data storage for businesses.
3. Implement strong safeguards to uphold data privacy
Deloitte shows that only 23% of generative AI (GenAI) early adopters feel highly prepared for managing AI risk and governance. As agents handle more personal and confidential data, you must set up file and folder permissions (along with other controls) to secure data privacy and meet your industry compliance requirements.
By creating AI agents with an Intelligent Content Management platform, you gain file encryption, multi-factor authentication, and granular permissions that safeguard your data and give you confidence in meeting industry regulations.
Create and personalize solutions with the best no-code AI agent builder
With Box, you can manage your entire content lifecycle securely with the power of AI. Our Intelligent Content Management platform allows you to collaborate on documents, store data, and more — all while protecting your sensitive information.
Supercharge your workflows with Box AI, using responsible AI models that:
- Enhance search capabilities
- Extract metadata
- Summarize your lengthy reports and contracts
- Answer questions across multiple documents in your content portals
- Empower teams to act faster and make decisions with total confidence
Want to simplify AI agent development? Box AI Studio helps you build and customize agents to fit specific needs. Equip your company with multiple agents for every department or use case, getting more done in much less time.
Contact us and let’s discuss how to build an AI agent that drives success for your business.
*While we maintain our steadfast commitment to offering products and services with best-in-class privacy, security, and compliance, the information provided in this blog post is not intended to constitute legal advice. We strongly encourage prospective and current customers to perform their own due diligence when assessing compliance with applicable laws.