In a recent The Wall Street Journal article, Sierra CEO Bret Taylor defined three types of AI agents:
1?? ???????????????? ???????????? that "help you plan a vacation or triage your email inbox."
2?? ???????????????? ?????????????? ???????????? that can "code, review contracts, analyze a sales report."
3?? ???????????????? ???????????????????? ???????????? that help people "file a claim, add someone to their premium, provide technical support, or convince people not to cancel or their plan."
As 2025 is shaping up to be the year of the AI Agent, I'm fearful that Taylor's categorization will cause more, not less, confusion.
What's really the difference between #2 and #3? And what about "agents" from a contact center perspective that simply answer customer questions?
Regardless of the definitions and distinctions, I'm concerned that bank and credit union executives are taking too narrow a view of AI agents and Generative AI, more broadly.
In Cornerstone Advisors' 2025 What's Going On In Banking report (link in the comments), executives were asked how they are using--and plan to use--Generative AI tools and agents. The results are concerning.
It's probably not a surprise that the contact center and fraud management were towards the top of the list for both bank and credit union execs.
?????? ?????? ???????????????? ???? ?????????????????????? ?????? ?????????????? ?????? ?????? ???? ???????????????????? ???? ?????? ????????????????????, ????, ???????????? ????????????????, ??????????, ?????? ??????????????/???????????????????? ???? ?????????????????? ?????? ?? ???????????? ???? ??????????????:
?? There are huge opportunities for these functions to benefit from Generative AI tools.
?? There are probably people in those functions already using Generative AI tools, but the C-suite doesn't know it.
C-suite execs in banks and credit unions need to task their functional leaders with identifying how Gen AI tools: 1) are already being used, and 2) how they ?????????? be used to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
