This weekly update reveals major changes in how businesses use AI agents and automation worldwide. The biggest news comes from a report by AI company Anthropic, which found that businesses prefer full automation over working together with AI.

The study looked at how companies use AI through business interfaces versus regular people using AI websites. 77% of business AI interactions involve complete automation, where AI handles entire tasks without human input. In contrast, only about half of regular consumer AI use follows this pattern.

Business AI use focuses heavily on practical work. 44% of business AI traffic handles coding and math tasks, compared to 36% for regular users. Companies rarely use AI for creative work like writing stories or making art - only 4-5% of the time. Regular people use AI more for education (12%) and creative projects (8%).

A major trend is companies giving more workers access to AI tools. According to the AI+BI Analytics 2025 Report, organizations plan to triple workforce access to AI-driven business intelligence by 2026. Right now, fewer than 10% of employees in most companies use tools beyond basic spreadsheets.

Nearly one in four organizations expect to give 30% or more of their workforce direct access to AI-powered analytics within the next 12 months. This represents a massive shift toward making advanced tools available to everyone, not just technical experts.

Several major companies launched new AI agents this week. Amazon introduced an AI agent in its Seller Assistant to manage tasks like inventory, promotions, and other seller operations. This shows how AI agents are moving into specific business functions.

YouTube unveiled over 30 new AI-powered tools at its product event, tripling last year's rollout. These tools help with video editing, generate shopping links, create podcast visuals, and even turn speech into song. YouTube now has 2.7 billion users and is on track to surpass Disney's media revenue in 2025.

Microsoft made Copilot Chat free in Office apps including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. The AI sidebar can rewrite text, analyze spreadsheets, and summarize documents. This lowers barriers for more businesses to try AI tools.

The promo industry provides a good example of widespread AI adoption. A quarter of distributors and two-thirds of suppliers now use AI in some way. They use AI for email sequences, product research, updating customer databases, and improving creative designs.

One supplier, StickerYou, launched an AI-enabled live chat feature that connects to their backend data. Customers can get quotes in six seconds using normal language like "Give me a quote for 3-inch matte stickers" or "Will these work in the dishwasher?"

Agentic AI represents the next major breakthrough in business automation. Unlike traditional AI that follows pre-set rules, agentic AI systems work together autonomously to learn and solve complex problems. Multiple AI agents share information across different company departments, breaking down the walls between teams.

This technology helps businesses discover new patterns and solutions that humans might miss. Think of these agents as specialists for different areas like tax rules or supply chain management, but they can work together to tackle bigger challenges.

Manufacturing shows impressive results from AI adoption. Companies are using AI-powered design tools that can create dozens of optimized design alternatives in minutes rather than weeks. A MIT study found that highly skilled workers improved performance by nearly 40% when using generative AI compared to those without AI support.

41% of manufacturing leaders plan to deploy AI and machine learning technology to fill skills gaps and labor shortages, according to Rockwell Automation's 2025 State of Smart Manufacturing Report.

The World Trade Organization projects that AI could increase global trade by 34-37% and boost GDP by 12-13% by 2040. However, the report warns about widening economic gaps without proper policies and digital infrastructure investment.

All these changes raise important questions about the future workforce. While AI automates many tasks, especially in administrative and operational roles, it also creates new opportunities in AI management, cybersecurity, and sustainability consulting. Companies that invest in retraining workers and helping them learn new skills will have advantages in attracting good employees.

The trend is clear: businesses worldwide are moving toward full automation rather than human-AI collaboration. This shift could have major economic effects and will likely change how many people work in the coming years.