Agentic AI Gains Traction Across Industries

As the initial hype around generative AI cools, businesses are increasingly deploying agentic AI solutions—with some organizations already managing thousands of agents. This next-generation approach focuses on automating complex business decisions rather than just content creation.

“AI agents seamlessly integrate with ERP, CRM, and BI systems to automate workflows, manage data analysis, and generate valuable reports,” explains Rodrigo Madanes, Global Innovation AI Officer at EY. “Unlike traditional automation technologies, their ability to make real-time decisions is transforming process automation into a major use case.”

Here are 11 key applications that experts highlight:

Software Development

AI agents are evolving from coding assistants to comprehensive development tools. Gartner predicts that AI will write the majority of code within three years, requiring developers to upskill accordingly.

Beyond writing code, specialized agents now review for errors—with MITRE using its own AI agents to maintain legacy repositories. For example, when 10-year-old source code fails to compile in a modern environment, the agent automatically identifies and fixes issues while documenting the changes.

Evolving RPA Capabilities

Organizations already leveraging robotic process automation (RPA) are discovering that AI agents can handle more complex tasks requiring judgment. “RPA is evolving from rule-based operations to adaptive, autonomous processes,” says Sheldon Monteiro, EVP & CPO at Publicis Sapient.

Experts anticipate that AI agents will manage intricate and dynamic workflows while RPA continues to serve repetitive, rule-based processes.

Transforming Customer Support

AI agents provide more than just chatbot functionality—they can autonomously handle complex customer interactions. As Glenn Nethercutt, CTO at Genesys, defines it: “Agentic AI is the ability to execute multi-step, non-deterministic tasks without human intervention.”

For instance, if a bank customer asks to “transfer money from my account with the highest balance,” an agent can understand and fulfill this request—something traditional chatbots couldn’t do. RingCentral’s AI Receptionist automates phone reception, appointment scheduling, and call routing based on conversation content.

Managing Customer Engagement

Data observability firm Monte Carlo built a multi-agent system that manages dozens of accounts without dedicated teams. These agents analyze product usage, CRM data, customer interactions, onboarding progress, renewal timelines, and support activities to determine appropriate actions—whether it’s providing onboarding assistance, identifying expansion opportunities, or flagging potential issues.

Retailer 260 Sample Sale leveraged agentic AI to reduce target customers by 82% while increasing conversion rates by 2.4x.

Automating Enterprise Workflows

With ServiceNow and Salesforce integrating AI agents, workflow automation is becoming a critical use case. Agents can transform meeting notes into project tickets or trigger supplier orders based on demand forecasts.

“A key question for CIOs is who will build the context stores that give these agents institutional knowledge,” Monteiro points out. “The potential of what could happen when LLMs know your entire business is significant.”

Enhancing Cybersecurity

Multiple cybersecurity providers are using AI agents to autonomously detect and respond to threats in near real-time—reducing attack response times and strengthening security postures. This automation also improves efficiency and reduces costs by handling routine tasks and incident responses.

Boosting Employee Productivity

Law firm Avantia uses AI agents embedded in Microsoft Word and Outlook to accelerate contract processes and provide faster client service. “These agents access company data and have a record of how things are typically handled,” explains CTO Paul Gaskell.

Financial services firm SS&C processes millions of documents monthly across 20 use cases, with human review reduced to less than 10%.

Generating Insights from Data

AI agents combined with business intelligence (BI) tools empower more employees to access advanced analytics. As Ryan Janssen, CEO of Zenlytic, notes: “From advising on marketing budget allocations to creating graphs from napkin sketches, the possibilities are expanding rapidly.” Agents can now handle ambiguous questions and provide contextually relevant insights.

Optimizing Manufacturing Operations

Manufacturers are deploying AI agents to monitor equipment health and optimize production processes. According to Augury research, 87% of manufacturers in the US and Europe have either implemented or tested generative/agentic AI solutions.