This weekly business automation update covers major breakthroughs in agentic AI – software that can think and make decisions on its own. Google launched Gemini Agent, a new tool that can handle multiple tasks by connecting to email, calendar, and reminders. Microsoft unveiled Agent 365, which helps companies use AI agents across their business. SIMA 2, another new AI agent, can learn and make decisions in video game worlds, showing how AI can work in complex environments.

Beyond new products, major partnerships are reshaping the industry. OpenAI and Intuit teamed up to bring ChatGPT into banking apps like TurboTax and QuickBooks, letting people handle finances directly through AI. OpenAI also partnered with Target so shoppers can buy things using ChatGPT. Microsoft and NVIDIA invested $15 billion in Anthropic to make Claude AI available to more businesses.

These AI agents are designed to help companies work faster by automating boring tasks. Google Cloud also improved its Vertex AI Agent Builder tool, which helps companies create custom AI agents. However, there is a downside: AI technology was cited in nearly 50,000 job cuts across the United States this year, with 31,000 cuts announced in October alone. As companies adopt AI agents to handle customer service, data analysis, and other work, some workers face layoffs.

Enterprise adoption is accelerating rapidly. Companies are experimenting with AI agents in customer service, finance, and supply chain management to reduce costs and improve speed. However, experts warn that many companies are spending billions on AI without fully understanding what it can do, which could lead to problems. The week showed both the tremendous potential and real challenges of bringing AI agents into everyday business operations.