Businesses are increasingly exploring AI agents to reduce workflow friction, using existing tools and staff input instead of building solutions from scratch.
Copyright: intelligencebriefing.substack.com – “How Small & Medium-Sized Businesses Can Use AI Agents”
Small and medium-sized businesses are at a turning point. AI agents are quickly reshaping how work gets done—making it faster, more flexible, and more efficient. But what does this mean for businesses without massive innovation budgets?
Together with fellow LinkedIn Learning instructor Ian Barkin, I discussed how agentic AI works, how it differs from traditional automation, and how SMBs can start using it without building everything from scratch. Here are the highlights from yesterday’s conversation…
Introducing Goal-Oriented, Digital Team Members
Many people still equate AI with chatbots or rules-based automation—systems that follow simple instructions: if X, then do Y. But AI agents go several steps further. They don’t just wait to be told exactly what to do—they take a goal and figure out how to accomplish it.
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For example, you can give an AI agent the following goal: “research competitors in a new market.” Traditional automation would fail. But an AI agent can access data, break down the task into steps, use tools to collect information, evaluate the results, and even draft a recommendation. That’s the evolution: from fixed steps to flexible reasoning.
This distinction matters. If you’re in operations, marketing, or customer service, understanding what agents can do will help you deploy them in the right places. And it helps you avoid being misled by vendors slapping an “agentic AI” label on old systems. Ask: does this tool take goals and dynamically figure out how to deliver on them? If it does, you’re likely working with an AI agent.
Reviewing Your Tech Stack for Built-In AI and Agents
The natural path to using AI agents often starts with what you already use. But don’t start with the tools. Start with the friction.[…]
Andreas Welsch is an internationally recognized AI strategist, keynote speaker, and author with over 20 years of leadership experience in the tech industry, including as Vice President at SAP. As Founder of Intelligence Briefing and author of The AI Leadership Handbook, he helps executives turn AI from hype into measurable business outcomes. Andreas is widely regarded as a top global thought leader in AI, known for his practical guidance on responsible adoption, AI strategy, and workforce transformation.
Businesses are increasingly exploring AI agents to reduce workflow friction, using existing tools and staff input instead of building solutions from scratch.
Copyright: intelligencebriefing.substack.com – “How Small & Medium-Sized Businesses Can Use AI Agents”
Small and medium-sized businesses are at a turning point. AI agents are quickly reshaping how work gets done—making it faster, more flexible, and more efficient. But what does this mean for businesses without massive innovation budgets?
Together with fellow LinkedIn Learning instructor Ian Barkin, I discussed how agentic AI works, how it differs from traditional automation, and how SMBs can start using it without building everything from scratch. Here are the highlights from yesterday’s conversation…
Introducing Goal-Oriented, Digital Team Members
Many people still equate AI with chatbots or rules-based automation—systems that follow simple instructions: if X, then do Y. But AI agents go several steps further. They don’t just wait to be told exactly what to do—they take a goal and figure out how to accomplish it.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe to our AI NAVIGATOR!
For example, you can give an AI agent the following goal: “research competitors in a new market.” Traditional automation would fail. But an AI agent can access data, break down the task into steps, use tools to collect information, evaluate the results, and even draft a recommendation. That’s the evolution: from fixed steps to flexible reasoning.
This distinction matters. If you’re in operations, marketing, or customer service, understanding what agents can do will help you deploy them in the right places. And it helps you avoid being misled by vendors slapping an “agentic AI” label on old systems. Ask: does this tool take goals and dynamically figure out how to deliver on them? If it does, you’re likely working with an AI agent.
Reviewing Your Tech Stack for Built-In AI and Agents
The natural path to using AI agents often starts with what you already use. But don’t start with the tools. Start with the friction.[…]
Read more: www.intelligencebriefing.substack.com
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