"Every executive I speak with wants to deploy AI agents in their business. Yet most are making the same costly mistake: choosing the wrong tasks to automate. In my previous article, A Beginner's Guide To Building AI Agents, I explained how to get started with agentic AI. Now it's time to tackle the most critical step: finding the right jobs to use them for. Get this wrong, and you'll waste time and money. Get it right, and you'll transform how your business operates."
"Agents are best thought of as autonomous AI assistants capable of carrying out far more complex and multi-step tasks than simpler ChatGPT-style chatbots. Currently, the hottest topic in business technology is sometimes referred to as "virtual workers". However, I'm cautious of this line of thinking for two reasons. Firstly, it implies that they can in some way replace humans. Secondly, I believe understanding how they're different from human workers is critical to using them effectively and responsibly."
"Agents excel at automating tasks where the workflow is predictable, and that need to be done so frequently that they become a time-sink for human workers. This usually means jobs that follow simple, clear rules, drawing on structured data and without the need for nuanced, contextual understanding or judgement. This is why use cases such as monitoring and automatically replenishing stock inventory, or classifying, reconciling and chasing up invoice payments are ideal."
Every executive wants to deploy AI agents but many choose the wrong tasks to automate. Agents are autonomous AI assistants capable of complex, multi-step tasks beyond chatbots. They are tools, not human replacements, and their differences from human workers must be understood for effective, responsible use. Select use cases carefully to avoid wasted time and money. Agents perform best on simple, repetitive, high-frequency tasks with predictable workflows, structured data, and clear rules. Ideal examples include monitoring and automatically replenishing inventory and classifying, reconciling, and chasing invoice payments. Creative, judgment-heavy tasks are unsuitable.
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