Recently, the world-renowned management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group (BCG) released a highly insightful report predicting that AI Agents will spark a revolution across various industries, prompting profound reflections on future work models, business models, and even the shape of human society.

As Yuval Noah Harari, author of “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind,” stated: “We are entering an ‘algorithmic age,’ where data and algorithms will become the new sources of power.”

AI Agents are the vanguard of this algorithmic tide. How will they create value? How will they reshape our world?

AI Agents: Tireless, Continuously Learning “Super Employees”

Imagine having a “super employee” in your company who is tireless, continuously learning, and able to adapt to all your needs. They are available 24/7, never complain, never make mistakes, and always complete tasks with maximum efficiency.

This is the AI Agent, an intelligent entity built on artificial intelligence technology.

BCG’s report uses a consumer goods company as an example to vividly showcase the powerful capabilities of AI Agents.

This company aimed to optimize its global marketing activities using AI Agents. In the past, a project that required six analysts a week to complete can now be delivered in less than an hour with just one employee collaborating with an AI Agent. This is a leap in productivity!

• AI Agent Collects Data: Each week, the agent autonomously collects and merges marketing data through connected data pipelines.

• AI Agent Analyzes Performance: The agent performs contextual analysis on data to understand activity performance metrics and compare them with expectations, receiving business context from operators when necessary.

• AI Agent Provides Recommendations: The agent compiles a standardized report with optimization suggestions. Operators stress-test and refine the AI Agent’s recommendations as needed.

• AI Agent Updates Platforms: Upon receiving human approval, the agent updates recommendations to media buying platforms.

The Core of AI Agents: Observe, Plan, Act

The efficiency of AI Agents stems from their unique working principle: Observe, Plan, Act. These three steps form a self-reinforcing loop that enables AI Agents to continuously learn and evolve.

• Observe
  
  : AI Agents act as keen “observers,” constantly collecting information from their environment, including user interactions, key performance indicators, sensor data, and more. They possess “memory,” allowing them to recall past conversations and actions, providing context for multi-step planning. As the “Art of War” states: “Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster.” By continuously observing the environment, AI Agents achieve “knowing the enemy,” laying the groundwork for subsequent decision-making.
• Plan
  
  : AI Agents utilize large language models (LLM) or small language models (SLM) to autonomously assess and prioritize actions based on their understanding of the problem, goal setting, contextual information, and memory. In this step, AI Agents display their powerful “strategic” capabilities, akin to a general making plans. As former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower said: “Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” The planning process of AI Agents is the core of their intelligence.
• Act
  
  : AI Agents execute specific tasks through connected enterprise systems, tools, and data sources. They can access various enterprise services, such as human resources systems, order management systems, or customer relationship management systems, and can delegate tasks to other AI Agents or request clarification from users. In this step, AI Agents become efficient “executors,” turning plans into actual actions. As the “Tao Te Ching” states: “The difficult things in the world must be done while they are easy; the great things must be done while they are small.” AI Agents break down complex tasks into manageable actions and complete them efficiently.

This Observe-Plan-Act cycle iterates and reinforces itself, allowing AI Agents to continuously learn and become increasingly efficient and intelligent.

The Architecture of AI Agents: Five Core Components

AI Agents can be implemented in various ways, but they typically include the following five core components:

1. Agent-Centric Interface
   
   : This is the bridge through which AI Agents interact with the external world, including various protocols and APIs that allow AI Agents to observe their environment, receive instructions, and output results.
2. Memory Module
   
   : The “brain” of the AI Agent, responsible for storing short-term memory (e.g., recent events and contexts) and long-term memory (e.g., factual knowledge, concepts, past conversations, and task execution methods).
3. Profile Module
   
   : Defines the “personality” of the AI Agent, including its role, goals, and behavioral patterns.
4. Planning Module
   
   : The “command center” of the AI Agent, which uses LLM or SLM to formulate appropriate action plans based on observations, memory, and profiles.
5. Action Module
   
   : Defines the set of actions that the AI Agent can perform, including various APIs and system integrations. These five components work together to build a complete and powerful AI Agent.

Advantages of AI Agents: Proactivity, Adaptability, Collaboration

Unlike traditional software tools, AI Agents do not merely passively execute instructions; they actively interact with their environment, learning and adapting while collaborating with other intelligent agents. This makes AI Agents active participants in workflows, not just tools, but high-performance team members capable of creating real value.

• Proactivity
  
  : AI Agents are no longer “puppets on a string”; they are autonomous “intelligent agents” capable of proactively exploring their environment, identifying problems, and solving them.
• Adaptability
  
  : AI Agents can adjust their plans in real-time based on changes in the environment, adapting to various complex situations, giving them an advantage over technologies like robotic process automation. As Charles Darwin said in “On the Origin of Species”: “It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” The adaptability of AI Agents is a testament to their robust vitality.
• Collaboration
  
  : AI Agents can collaborate with other intelligent agents to complete complex tasks, achieving results greater than the sum of their parts.

What Types of AI Agents Exist?

AI agents vary in complexity, ranging from simple coding assistants to complex networks that can automate processes that would typically require a team. In the realm of coding, we can see different types of intelligent agents achieving varying degrees of complexity:

• At the simplest level, a coding copilot can generate code at the developer’s prompt.
• A more advanced intelligent agent can automatically absorb existing codebases and customize its output accordingly. This agent can even generate code to pass unit tests automatically after the developer writes test cases, all without being prompted.
• More advanced AI agents can not only develop code but also compile and run applications in testing environments.
• Future AI agents may go even further, deploying applications in production environments through automated pipelines after human approval. This would effectively allow anyone to create and deploy entire applications using plain language.

The Value of AI Agents: Automation, Collaboration, Insights

The powerful agency of AI Agents stems from closely mimicking the processes humans follow. This is because LLMs, the core planning component of modern agents, can “inherit” human cognition—they are trained on vast amounts of human output, enabling them to solve problems similar to those humans can tackle.

Virtual agents in AI perform well on problems that can be broken down into components. They require small, well-defined tasks. They need relevant context. Their performance improves with tight feedback loops, allowing errors to be corrected during iterations.

AI Agents create business value in three main areas:

1. Automating Standardized Business Processes
   
   : AI Agents can efficiently and accurately handle repetitive tasks, reducing human error and freeing employees to focus on higher-value work. As Peter Drucker, author of “The Effective Executive,” said: “Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.” AI Agents enhance efficiency while allowing employees to concentrate more on effectiveness.
2. Human Collaboration
   
   : AI Agents can serve as intelligent collaborators, providing actionable insights that support human decision-making and enhance human expertise. As famous American singer Bob Dylan’s lyrics state: “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.” AI Agents help us capture those answers “blowin’ in the wind.”
3. Revealing Data Insights
   
   : In data-rich environments, AI Agents can analyze and synthesize information at a scale far beyond human teams, identifying patterns and providing insights that drive strategic decision-making.

The Applications of AI Agents: Just the Tip of the Iceberg

Currently, AI Agents are beginning to emerge across various industries, including marketing, customer service, research and development, data, and technology.

• Marketing: A leading consumer goods company used intelligent agents to create blog posts, reducing costs by 95% and increasing speed by 50 times (shortening the publication time of new blog posts from four weeks to one day).
• Customer Service: A leading global bank used AI virtual agents to interact with customers, reducing costs by tenfold.
• Research and Development: A biopharmaceutical company utilized AI agents for lead generation, shortening cycle times by 25% and improving time efficiency in drafting clinical study reports by 35%.
• Data and Technology: An IT department utilized AI agents to modernize its legacy technology, increasing productivity by 40%.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

In the future, the applications of AI Agents will become even more widespread, and their potential is immeasurable.

The Future of AI Agents: A New Era of Human-Machine Collaboration

BCG predicts that in the next five years, the AI Agent market will grow rapidly at a compound annual growth rate of 45%. AI Agents will be “hired” like human employees, learning roles and responsibilities, accessing company data and business contexts, integrating into workflows, and supporting human responsibilities.

Complex disciplines, such as software development, customer service, and business analysis, will be accomplished by small teams with the assistance of various types of AI Agents. Organizations will expand more quickly, and companies will rely less on recruitment.

Of course, the development of AI Agents also brings new challenges. Supervising AI Agents will become a core team skill to ensure they meet objectives while maintaining standards of privacy, fairness, and ethical use.

As the number of AI Agents increases, the demand for employees to manage them will grow, making responsible AI training for employees crucial.

Conclusion: A New Era of Collaborative Value

The age of AI Agents has arrived, and it will profoundly change our work methods, business models, and even the entire social structure.

As stated in “Sapiens”: “Humanity stands at a new crossroads.” We need to embrace the opportunities brought by AI Agents while actively addressing the challenges they present.

Undoubtedly, AI Agents are unlocking unprecedented business value. From automating standardized processes to deeply assisting human decision-making and uncovering hidden insights behind vast amounts of data—they are the next generation of “digital colleagues.”

Perhaps, in the near future, AI Agents will become the “infrastructure” of enterprises, sitting alongside human workers, learning from each other, and innovating collaboratively.

As the BCG report emphasizes, this wave brings not only a revolution in efficiency but also profound changes in management philosophy and business models. For individuals, embracing AI Agents will expand our creative boundaries; for companies, AI Agents signify the activation of new growth engines.

AI Agents are gradually demonstrating their potential, but their limits may still far exceed our imagination. The future belongs to those organizations and individuals who can effectively leverage AI Agents, continuously driving collaboration and innovation. Opportunities and challenges coexist, and the journey has just begun.

“Winter is coming, but I see the flowers of spring.”

This phrase illustrates that every technological revolution is like winter nurturing spring; the power of new things will eventually bloom vigorously. AI Agents are this hopeful seed, waiting for further exploration and cultivation.

References:

https://www.bcg.com/capabilities/artificial-intelligence/ai-agents

Recommended Reading

Vocational Education, Reform in High School Entrance Examination, and Lifelong Learning: Key Interpretation of the “Outline for Building a Strong Education Country (2024-2035)”

Geoffrey Hinton Sounds the Alarm: AI Has Learned to Lie, Humans May Become the “Useless Class”?

Elon Musk’s New Move: Ad Astra, a “Non-Traditional” Future School Without Grades or Exams

Day of AI: How MIT’s Global AI Enlightenment Became a Worldwide Educational Movement?

Anthropic: Agents Aren’t That Complicated! Just 8 Paradigms Needed

Top Performance? Testing DeepSeek-V3 Model Shows Occasional Confusion and Unstable Performance