AI and Generative AI have been buzzwords for the last two years since ChatGPT was launched in November 2022. Early iterations of AI, often referred to as general-purpose AI, were remarkable in their ability to process data, recognize patterns, and perform predefined tasks efficiently. However, they operated within rigid boundaries, requiring human oversight for decision-making and adaptation.
Today, as we enter 2025, AI space is buzzing with another revolution in the making: Agentic AI. As I follow the annual town halls of big tech corporations from Google, Microsoft, Salesforce to HubSpot, one common theme that is strongly emerging is Agentic AI.
Agentic AI is different from general purpose AI as it goes beyond responding to prompts; it autonomously executes tasks, learns from environments, and orchestrates complex workflows.
As I come from a business applications background, I was curious to find out how this new trend is going to shape the future of business applications (or SaaS). Adding fuel to this much debated conversation was a recent comment from Satya Nadella (CEO of Microsoft) in one of the podcasts (https://lnkd.in/dM6K-5bj ) – that traditional SaaS or “business applications as we know today will collapse in the agent era”.
He further gives an example of how AI Agents will work across various databases such as Dynamics 365 (CRM) or Business Central or Finance & Operations and get the work done. He also laid out the future architecture landscape being Co- Pilot (UI) ->Agentic AI (business logic) -> Underlying databases as a future 3 tier architecture.
Microsoft has already announced ten new autonomous agents in Dynamics 365 to build capacity for every sales, service, finance and supply chain team. (Ref: https://lnkd.in/dbK_fNd9)
- Sales Qualification Agent in Dynamics 365 Sales: Streamlines lead qualification by automating customer data analysis and interaction management.
- Customer Support Agents in Dynamics 365 Customer Service: Automates repetitive support tasks, allowing human agents to focus on complex issues.
- Finance Agents: Handle tasks like expense reporting, ledger management, and financial reconciliations autonomously.
All these developments clearly point towards a new direction for Agentic AI & how they will power future business applications. This also means that future solution architects and software companies in the business applications landscape will require a different type of skill set than today.
What do you think about Agentic AI’s role in reshaping business applications? Share your insights in the comments or let’s continue the conversation!"
#BusinessApplications, #SaaSInnovation, #Dynamics365, #CRMInnovation, #FinanceTransformation, #FutureOfSaaS