AI Agents and Workflows of the Future

Will AI take away our jobs? Will the way work is done see a large disruption? Way more than any other disruption has in the past?

The answer is a bit nuanced, and it would help to look at what work means today and how it has evolved over the years. Let's look at how work gets done in the modern world. (By modern, I mean after computers entered the scene) In this essay, we'll keep our focus solely on the realm of information technology (IT), (software, data etc.) leaving out the evolution of work or the role of technology or robotics in heavy engineering or mechanical industries.

Up until now, a typical workflow (in IT) in most businesses or professional outfits has involved the following components:

Data: This would typically include all information pertaining to a business, such as customer data, product information, inventories, process data, manuals etc.
Tools: By tools, I mean anything that helps you produce an output based on a given input. These could be software programs or machines, and as simple as a basic photo filter or as complex as a program producing predictive results using machine learning.
Connectors: These provide Interoperability and are programs like Zapier which assist in connecting two different data or business units and help them work together.
Managers: This role is usually carried out by humans and involves achieving the desired goal with the available resources and tools. It happens to be the most vital role in the entire process since it requires marshaling all the other units into working together towards meeting the larger business goal.