DeepAnalysisAnalystBriefAIAgents:WhatTheyAre,How They Work, and WhereOrganizations Might Best Use ThemBy:MattMullenbased on complexity. Finally, we discuss theThe Essentialsspecific use cases that an enterprise mightonsiderappropriatefordeploying agents andIn2024.,theintroductiono"agents'derivedhow the preparation, implementation, andfrom artificialintelligence (Al)dominated therelativelvimmaturemarketolaceincenerativeAlfor enterprises.Whereasin2023.discussionAgentscan enableenterpisestoshittitoof enterprise Al centered uponits useasana levelof complex process orchestrationassistantwithinbusinessapolications.2024that previously would have been resourcesawautomation,processochestration, andprohibitive(inbothcostandskl) To takeintegrationbuiltontothatfoundation.creatingadvantageofthesecapabilties,apriortythe notion of agents.planning task is creatingand supporting theactions needed to make plans executable byUsing increasingly sophisticated, specialistprospective agents.Thespecificity thatmakesagents useful means thatevery action they aresoftwareengines that can make determinationsapproved to perform needs to be supported toon purpose plan, and execution, agentssome extent by additional enterprise softwareoromiseahigh degree of specificitvin carrving(forexample, business applications) andout sets of tasks.Where previousiterationspredetermined plans. agents can create theirTraversingtheagentlandscape asourtlinedown plans based on sets of actionsthat thevwithin this reportis avital first stepfoorganizationsthat recognize theirownoperationalchallenges among thoseproposedIn thisreport.weexaminethecharacteristicsby the industry. Successfulexecution willthat executionis based on sound plamningoutcomes. Wealsolookat theoperationalandand successful harnessing of human skiltechnical architectures that support agentsand experience.operationandclassifythesupported actions8DeepAnalysisaz24/inoepantysanetAlAgerts:WhatTheyAre.HowThey Wor
Finally,looking at theshorttomediumterm-the next12-24months-we acknowledge thatFigure1How Agents, Reasoning Engines, and Actions Areinitill,agents will be deployed primarily byorganizations with existing, application-specificright away within single-vendor environmentsFrom this starting point, the provisioning otibraries of actions from which agents can beassemnbledand conifigurediwllbecome cartof vendor-provided capabilities.with gradualintegrationsupportforthird-partyapplicationemerging.Thismight seem anunambitioushighly engaged organizations to achieve.Background:From AssistantstoAgentsIn October2023, DeepAnalysisreleasedthereport"Workplace AlMarketAnalysGenerativeAland the Desktop(R)Evolution"?Iindoingso.sicnificantexistingelementsofanorganization's information architecture startadvanceshadenabled generativeAl(GenAIldrawing much closer together.As we will discuss. agents enable Informationmany desktop software applications. A vear Tansaction, and Extended usecases, whichlater. at the time of writing thisreport,manyas theyincreasein complexity alsodeliveranof thocosoftwareaonlications are alreadyaugmentingthoseex...
