Google brings agentic AI to Gemini, starting with businesses
Google has announced that Gemini, its AI assistant, will now operate as an agent capable of completing tasks on behalf of users rather than simply answering questions. The company unveiled this development at a Google Cloud event, marking a shift towards AI that can generate code, schedule meetings, book appointments and manage other business functions independently. This represents Google's response to the growing market for agentic AI tools, positioning Gemini to compete with emerging consumer-facing alternatives.
Google will initially roll out the agent to businesses before expanding to consumers. Gemini boasts over 1 billion monthly active users and adoption from nearly 90% of Fortune 100 companies, giving it significant scale for this rollout. The agent can connect to major business platforms including Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack and Jira, and will operate with its own workspace account and email address, allowing users to select which AI model powers it, starting with Anthropic's Claude.
- Google launches agentic Gemini for businesses, completing tasks autonomously
- Agent reaches 1 billion users and 90% of Fortune 100 companies
- Users can choose from multiple AI models including Claude
New here? Start with this
Modern AI assistants are primarily designed to answer questions or provide information. A new category of AI can go further: performing tasks independently on your behalf, such as writing code, scheduling meetings or booking travel. These are sometimes called 'AI agents' and represent an evolution in how businesses might use artificial intelligence.
Gemini is Google's AI assistant, with over 1 billion monthly active users and adoption from nearly 90% of America's largest companies. Google is one of several major technology companies competing to build powerful AI tools that can perform increasingly complex business tasks. The company will first roll out this capability to businesses before expanding to individual consumers.
AI systems that can independently complete tasks have become a significant area of development in the technology sector, with companies competing to offer the most capable tools. If successful, these AI agents could substantially change how organisations handle routine administrative work, coding tasks and other business functions. This rollout represents Google's bid to compete in this growing market and demonstrate Gemini's capabilities to its massive user base.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Agentic AI offers substantial productivity gains by automating routine business tasks—scheduling, booking, coding—that consume significant time without requiring genuine human judgment. By freeing employees from such work, businesses can redirect human effort towards higher-value strategic activity, whilst autonomous agents operate continuously without fatigue. Users maintain meaningful control through selective task delegation and model selection, and the phased rollout beginning with businesses permits careful monitoring and refinement. This represents legitimate technological progress that, properly implemented, enhances human capability by handling what amounts to clerical work.
The case against
Deploying autonomous agents raises significant safety and control concerns. Systems operating independently with email access and platform integration can cause unintended harm through misinterpreted instructions or unforeseen decisions, creating accountability questions. The expanded attack surface introduces material security and privacy risks, and there are deeper questions about whether normalising autonomous AI erodes institutional knowledge and human expertise over time. These risks warrant profound caution about granting systems genuine independent agency without assured oversight.
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