Autonomous Agents: The Next Big Leap in AI

NEW YORK - At the recent Reuters NEXT conference, business executives and researchers forecasted that autonomous 'agents' and profitability are set to dominate the artificial intelligence agenda in 2025. These agents, capable of performing actions like purchasing and scheduling without direct human involvement, represent a long-sought goal in AI research.

The emergence of step-by-step reasoning approaches, such as those utilized in OpenAI's o1 model, is expected to enable these capabilities. 'I think we are going to see a lot of motion next year around agents, and I think people are going to be surprised at how fast this technology comes at us,' said OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar.

Profitability: The AI Industry's New Focus

Alongside the rise of autonomous agents, the AI industry is also shifting its focus towards profitability. 'Last year it was more focusing on revenue growth,' said Molly Alter at Northzone. 'This year, it's going to be, instead of all about grow, grow, grow, it's going to be, 'wow, if I use AI, my margins are going up.'

Executives from major banks and businesses have already integrated AI into their workflows, moving beyond experimentation. For instance, thousands of employees at bank BNY are now using LLM-fueled agents to assist with daily tasks, highlighting the transformative potential of AI in various sectors.