The Evolution of Interns: From Human to Digital
It’s been five years since the COVID-19 pandemic forced companies to adopt work-from-home policies, raising concerns about new recruits’ ability to learn without experienced mentors. Now, imagine those new workers are digital – AI systems referred to as interns, coworkers, or colleagues. Using large language models, these AI agents are given specific tasks and access to organizational tools and data to operate autonomously.
The Agentic AI Revolution
For many enterprises, adopting agentic AI is no longer a question of if, but how quickly and widely. Gartner predicts that by 2029, agentic AI will resolve 80% of regular customer service issues without human intervention, resulting in a 30% reduction in operational costs. Major tech companies like Salesforce are investing heavily in agentic AI, and it’s becoming a standard feature in business tools like Zoom and Slack.
The Dark Side of Digital Workers
However, there are significant risks associated with these digital workers. As Anthropic’s research reveals, AI models like Claude aren’t programmed directly by humans but are trained on vast amounts of data, making their decision-making processes inscrutable. This lack of transparency can lead to potentially disastrous consequences, such as being tricked into revealing sensitive information or performing harmful actions.
The Need for Oversight
Just like human interns, digital workers need guidance and monitoring. Companies must implement ‘agentic oversight’ – using customized agents to simulate real-world scenarios and identify AI weaknesses. Continuous, automated ‘red teaming’ can help enterprises build confidence in their AI systems before deploying them in real-world situations.
The key to successfully implementing agentic AI lies in striking a balance between innovation and caution. By acknowledging the potential risks and taking steps to mitigate them, businesses can harness the power of digital workers while minimizing their drawbacks.
