Capgemini, a leader in technology services, predicts that by 2025, AI-powered agents will collaborate to perform tasks within a multi-agent AI framework.
Pascal Brier, Capgemini’s chief innovation officer, revealed in an interview with CNBC that the company is already working with companies that are exploring these agent-based technologies. He noted that applications involving more autonomous agents are expected to emerge in the coming year.
Capgemini describes AI agents as systems designed to operate independently, plan strategically, pursue high-level goals, and manage complex workflows with minimal human intervention. Essentially, these agents perform tasks on behalf of users.
Brier stressed that the United States is at the forefront of developing this technology, while Europe is behind.
In a recent report titled “Harnessing the Value of Generative AI,” Capgemini found that 82% of companies surveyed plan to integrate AI agents within the next one to three years, while only 7% have no such plans. The survey included more than 1,100 companies with revenues greater than $1 billion.
Brier classified AI agents into two types: individual agents that perform tasks for users and multi-agent systems in which agents communicate with each other. For example, a marketing AI agent developing an advertising campaign for the German market could collaborate independently with a legal AI agent within the same organization to ensure regulatory compliance.
According to Capgemini, unlike traditional AI, which follows predefined instructions, these advanced agents can understand, interpret, adapt and act autonomously, potentially replacing human workers in specific tasks.
Brier described the initial phase of AI adoption in 2022 as “V1,” focused on prompt comprehension and large language models. The current phase involves integrating generative AI with knowledge engines and using those agents as proxies or co-pilots to perform tasks.
Capgemini research indicates that 71% of organizations expect AI agents to improve automation, while 64% believe they will free up human workers from repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on value-added activities such as improving customer experience.
Generative AI Adoption Trends
Capgemini’s report highlights a significant increase in the adoption of generative AI. In 2023, only 6% of companies had integrated generative AI, but this figure has risen to 24% this year.
However, this adoption varies by company size. While 10% of companies with revenues between $1 billion and $5 billion are implementing generative AI, this percentage increases to 49% for companies with revenues greater than $20 billion. Larger companies have more resources to invest in generative AI and can scale their experiments more effectively.
Industry-specific adoption rates also differ. For example, 88% of aerospace and defense organizations have invested in generative AI, compared to 66% in retail.
