Paul Welty, PhD AI, WORK, AND STAYING HUMAN

Bookmark: Why Agents Will Change Everything You Know About AI

Discover how autonomous AI agents are revolutionizing industries, enhancing efficiency, and transforming the workplace for sustained success and innovation.

In the article “Why Agents Will Change Everything You Know About AI” by Adam Evans, the central thesis posits that as we enter the “agentic era” of Artificial Intelligence, autonomous agents will revolutionize the workplace. This era represents the third wave of AI innovation, following predictive AI and generative AI, now moving towards systems capable of reasoning, reflecting, and executing multi-faceted tasks independently. These AI agents promise to transform industries by automating repetitive tasks, optimizing processes, and enhancing customer experiences. For instance, in a customer service scenario, an AI agent can diagnose appliance issues, order necessary parts, and schedule repairs without human intervention, as exemplified by companies like Fisher & Paykel using Agentforce to streamline operations. Additionally, AI agents augment human abilities, offering real-time insights and advice during tasks like sales calls, which expand employee capacities beyond traditional limitations. The article illustrates that organizations embracing agentic AI through robust platforms like Salesforce’s Agentforce can reduce costs, increase efficiency, and remain competitive. Conversely, those delaying adoption may struggle to adapt to fast-evolving market demands. AI agents thus signify a transformative force in business, marking a crucial shift that ensures sustained success and innovation Why Agents Will Change Everything You Know About AI


Featured writing

Why customer tools are organized wrong

This article reveals a fundamental flaw in how customer support tools are designed—organizing by interaction type instead of by customer—and explains why this fragmentation wastes time and obscures the full picture you need to help users effectively.

Infrastructure shapes thought

The tools you build determine what kinds of thinking become possible. On infrastructure, friction, and building deliberately for thought rather than just throughput.

Server-Side Dashboard Architecture: Why Moving Data Fetching Off the Browser Changes Everything

How choosing server-side rendering solved security, CORS, and credential management problems I didn't know I had.

Books

The Work of Being (in progress)

A book on AI, judgment, and staying human at work.

The Practice of Work (in progress)

Practical essays on how work actually gets done.

Recent writing

We always panic about new tools (and we're always wrong)

Every time a new tool emerges for making or manipulating symbols, we panic. The pattern is so consistent it's almost embarrassing. Here's what happened each time.

Dev reflection - February 03, 2026

I've been thinking about constraints today. Not the kind that block you—the kind that clarify. There's a difference, and most people miss it.

When execution becomes cheap, ideas become expensive

This article reveals a fundamental shift in how organizations operate: as AI makes execution nearly instantaneous, the bottleneck has moved from implementation to decision-making. Understanding this transition is critical for anyone leading teams or making strategic choices in an AI-enabled world.

Notes and related thinking

Article analysis: "Salesforce's Agentforce: Transforming Enterprise Operations with Advanced AI Integration"

Discover how Salesforce's Agentforce leverages advanced AI to transform enterprise operations, enhancing efficiency and customer satisfaction across industries.

Article analysis: Harnessing Agentic AI: Transformative Potential, Data Foundations, and Future Work Dynamics

Explore how agentic AI transforms workplaces through data quality and human-machine collaboration, unlocking new potential for innovation and creativity.

Article analysis: The AI Advantage: Why Return-To-Office Mandates Are A Step Back

Explore how return-to-office mandates hinder workplace progress and trust, while AI-driven hybrid models boost employee morale and productivity.