Assistants are beginning to execute workflows. Governance, permissions and traceability move to the center of design.
An agent is more than an interface
When AI queries systems, makes intermediate decisions and executes actions, it stops being a conversational layer. It becomes part of operations.
That requires clear rules for what it can read, modify, when it must request approval and how each decision can be reconstructed.
Fewer user steps, more design behind them
The experience can look simple: request a report, prepare a campaign or update a record. Behind it sit reliable connectors, states, error handling and auditable logs.
Where to begin
The best first agents work in a limited domain, with known data and a verifiable output. Autonomy should grow with evidence, not enthusiasm.