What Are AI Agents and Why Do They Matter?

AI agents are computer programs that can make decisions and complete tasks on their own, without someone telling them every single step. Unlike older automation tools that just follow rules, agentic AI can look at a situation, plan what needs to happen, take action, and learn from the results. Think of it like hiring an employee who gets better at their job every day and does not need constant supervision. This technology is changing how businesses operate across the world.

Major Announcements from Microsoft, Adobe, and Anthropic

Microsoft made a big splash with the release of Copilot Studio 2025 Wave 2. This tool lets companies create their own AI agents to help with work, and users do not need to know how to write computer code to build them. Microsoft also released an open-source Agent Framework for programming languages used by millions of developers worldwide. This means more businesses can create AI agents tailored to their specific needs. Adobe, a company known for creative software, announced major updates at its MAX conference in late October. Adobe is adding AI assistants powered by agentic AI technology to programs like Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere, and Illustrator. These AI assistants can handle repetitive tasks so that creative professionals can focus on the most important work.

Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI model, released Claude Sonnet 4.5, an AI system designed for important industries like banking and healthcare. This model was built with a focus on following rules, explaining its decisions clearly, and being trustworthy in situations where mistakes are very costly. Businesses in finance, insurance, and law can now use AI agents that explain why they made a decision and follow strict regulations.

How Businesses Are Using AI Agents Right Now

One of the most interesting uses of agentic AI is what experts call "agentic commerce." This means AI agents can shop, compare prices, and complete purchases all on their own using money the customer already approved. An AI agent might notice that a household is running low on coffee, check prices at different stores, and automatically order the cheapest option. This changes everything about how businesses market products, because companies now have to think about selling to AI customers, not just people.

Amazon is using AI in its warehouses in a similar way. Instead of programming robots to follow exact steps, Amazon trains its robots using real data about how to identify, sort, and manage millions of items. These robots learn and improve over time, making warehouse work faster and reducing mistakes. This represents a shift from rule-based automation to machine learning-driven adaptation, meaning the systems improve without needing new instructions.

New Platforms and Tools

Ricoh, a large technology company in Japan, announced RICOH Intelligent Automation on October 28, 2025. This is a cloud-based software platform powered by AI that helps companies automate business processes. It can read information from documents, connect different computer systems, and organize data so companies can use it better. Ricoh plans to test the platform in specific countries before offering it worldwide.

The Bigger Picture: SMB Adoption and Future Predictions

Small and medium-sized businesses are not waiting for large corporations to figure things out. Research shows that 77 percent of small businesses worldwide have already started using AI in some part of their business, whether in customer service, marketing, operations, or finance. The results are impressive: 91 percent of companies using AI report higher revenue, and 90 percent see improvements in operations. In the United States specifically, 38 percent of small businesses are using AI, and this number is growing fast.

The cost of using AI has dropped dramatically, making it available to companies of all sizes. AI is no longer just for companies with huge budgets—a small business with just ten employees can now use the same powerful tools as a business with a thousand employees. Experts predict that by 2028, approximately 33 percent of all business software will include agentic AI capabilities, compared to less than 1 percent in 2024. This represents explosive growth over just four years.

What This Means for Workers and the Future of Work

While AI agents bring benefits like faster work and fewer mistakes, they also raise important questions about jobs and the future of work. As companies cut costs using automation, some workers worry about their jobs disappearing. However, many experts believe that instead of eliminating work entirely, AI agents will change what work looks like—handling repetitive, boring tasks so that people can focus on creative and strategic work that requires human judgment.

The Bottom Line

This weekly update shows that agentic AI is no longer a future concept—it is here now. Companies across industries are building AI agents to handle real business tasks, from creative work to warehouse management to financial decisions. Small businesses are adopting these tools at surprising rates, and results show significant improvements in revenue and operations. The announcements from Microsoft, Adobe, Anthropic, Amazon, and Ricoh demonstrate that the race to deploy agentic AI is accelerating, and businesses that understand and adopt these technologies will likely outpace their competitors in the months and years ahead.