Google Brings Agentic AI to Gemini, Focusing on Businesses First

Gemini, Google’s conversational AI platform, has taken a significant step forward with the introduction of an agentic AI that can not only answer questions but also take action on behalf of users. This new capability was announced at a recent Google Cloud event, where company leaders highlighted the potential for Gemini to become a powerful tool in both personal and professional settings.

The move towards agentic AI is part of a broader trend in the industry, as companies like Meta and others have been developing consumer-facing agents that can perform tasks beyond simple conversation. This includes generating code, scheduling meetings, booking appointments, and more. The rise of these new capabilities has led to increased adoption across various sectors, with nearly 90% of Fortune 100 businesses now using Gemini Enterprise at work.

Google’s decision to focus on bringing the agentic agent to businesses first is likely driven by the need to address complex issues related to security, scale, and performance. As Google CEO Sundar Pichai noted during the event, Gemini today has over 1 billion monthly active users, providing a significant foundation for further development. By prioritizing business adoption, Google aims to tackle these ‘harder problems’ before expanding to consumer markets.

The new agentic agent is designed to be highly flexible and adaptable, allowing it to plan work, use custom skills and tools, and connect with internal systems to achieve its objectives. According to Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, the AI can be given specific goals rather than just instructions, enabling it to take a more proactive approach to task completion.

One key feature of the new agent is its ability to select the best model for completing tasks, although users also have the option to choose from third-party models, including those from Anthropic’s Claude. Google has stated that it will expand this model picker in the future to include open-source and private models. This flexibility should enable businesses to leverage a wide range of capabilities within their Gemini setup.

The agentic agent can connect with various business systems, such as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, Jira, Confluence, Git, BigQuery, Databricks, Postgres, Snowflake, and others. It also supports secure connections via the Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, both within and outside company networks. Users can track the agent’s progress through a ‘tasks inbox’ interface, which provides insights into its decision-making process and task delegation.

The new agentic AI will have its own Workspace account, complete with an email address and context, allowing it to interact seamlessly with other team members. This includes access to calendars, time zones, approval processes, and more. Users can engage the agent through various channels, including tagging, emailing, sharing, or adding it to group chats. As the agent takes action, it will create an audit trail attributed to itself rather than a person.

The agentic agent is set to be accessible across multiple platforms, including iOS and Android mobile devices, Windows and Mac desktops, command line interfaces, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, ServiceNow, and Slack. Early adopters of the technology include sportswear brand On, Shopify, and PayPal, with large businesses like BNP Paribas, Bradesco, Merck, Orange Spain, Santee Cooper, SOMPO, Ulta Beauty, and Wesfarmers already leveraging Gemini Enterprise.

Google has also announced new flexible spending options for businesses using the agentic agent. These include multi-model orchestration, smart routing, and real-time spend caps, designed to help companies better manage their enterprise AI costs.