Artificial intelligence systems capable of planning and executing complex tasks are beginning to replace entire corporate departments as companies move beyond experimentation and deploy “agent AI” into real operations, Anand Sahay, global CEO at Xebia, told TNIE.
Unlike previous AI tools that primarily helped employees work faster, agent systems can autonomously perform complex operational tasks that previously required teams of people.
Sahay cited the example of a major global apparel retailer that has automated a large part of its supply chain ordering process.
The company sources garment components such as fabric, buttons and zippers from many countries, including China, India and Bangladesh, and must decide which factories to use, how much to order and whether suppliers meet regulatory rules.
Previously, employee teams handled these decisions by analyzing supplier reliability, compliance constraints, and delivery timelines.
This function is now largely automated.
“Our AI is able to make a better determination and calculation of which factory is best for that, how much from where, equating the total quantity you need,” he said.
Human involvement is reduced to minimal supervision. “You can imagine his departments, a very small number of people who are now just brought in as people in the loop to say this is what’s being ordered, every question, a button.”
The impact on personnel has been significant. “So productivity is reaching another level this way. It’s two months with 100 people, now you need one guy and maybe less than three days,” Sahay said.
However, he said many organizations are still struggling to capture similar benefits because they apply AI to existing processes rather than redesigning them.
