AI agents and the agentic web: what leadership teams need to know

AI agents are AI systems that take actions as well as answer questions. For a leadership team they matter in two places.

Inside the organisation, agents already run parts of real workflows, and that is where the return comes first. Outside it, buyers and customers are starting to use AI to find and deal with you. That second shift, the agentic web, builds over the next 6 to 18 months.

What is an AI agent, in plain English?

An AI agent is software given a goal that works out the steps itself. It then uses tools to carry them out: reading a system, filling in a form or updating a record. A chatbot answers. An agent does.

That is why agents land on the leadership agenda rather than staying with IT. Once software can act, the questions become operational. Which work should it do, and what does it cost?

Then come the questions of control: who checks it, and what is it allowed to touch? For the technical basics, read our practical guide to agentic AI.

Where are AI agents paying back inside organisations?

Agents pay back first in high-volume work with clear rules. Think first-line customer contact, claims handling and sales admin, with a person on hand for the exceptions.

Operators at aibl events describe the same lesson. The demo is the easy part, and the return is decided after go-live. Costs climb with usage, context gets lost between steps, and quality drops when nobody checks the output.

We have written up what broke when an agent moved from pilot to production. Two companion pieces cover why an agent costs more than you think and what twelve months of agents taught organisations.

The rule all three point to: manage an agent like a new hire. Give it a manager, a job description and a probation period.

What is the agentic web?

The agentic web is the internet as used by AI acting for people and organisations. A buyer’s AI assistant researches suppliers and writes the shortlist. A customer’s agent asks your service team a question without anyone clicking through your website.

Parts of this are already here. On 10 November 2026, OpenAI launched Businesses in ChatGPT. Organisations can now claim their ChatGPT profile and publish their own agent to answer customer questions.

At launch, that agent is open only to US ecommerce and online service companies. A week earlier, MIT Technology Review ran a feature called “The agentic web is here”.

In B2B, Forrester expects buyers to check AI-generated recommendations with people before they commit. It also predicts that two-thirds of providers will lose deals because buyers cannot verify their claims (Forrester, October 2026).

How fast is this happening?

Inside the organisation, it is happening now. Outside, the talk is running ahead of the behaviour.

Forrester expects fully autonomous buying to stay in low-risk, repeat purchases for now. In its July 2026 consumer survey, 61% said they never use AI browsers. The standards that let agents find and trust each other are still being settled.

So act on internal agents this year. Over the next 6 to 18 months, get your organisation ready to be found and checked by AI, before that becomes how buyers shortlist.

What should a leadership team do this quarter?

None of these steps needs a large budget.

1. Pick one workflow for an agent. Choose high-volume work with clear rules. Give it a named owner and measure where it starts.
2. Cost it and keep a person in the loop. Budget for usage as well as licences. Decide who checks the output, and how often.
3. Decide what agents can touch. Agree who signs off access to systems and data before the second agent arrives.
4. Check what AI tools say about you. Ask ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini the questions your buyers ask. Fix gaps on your website and public profiles.
5. Make your claims checkable. Named customers and published results carry more weight with an AI shortlist than polished copy.

Who on the leadership team owns this?

Both halves need more than one seat at the table. The COO usually owns agents inside the business, because they change how work flows.

The CMO and sales leader own how the organisation is found and chosen, while the CIO owns access and integration. The CEO’s job is to get them agreeing on priorities.

That agreement matters. Among 755 UK mid-market business leaders surveyed by aibl, 79% of those whose leadership team agrees on AI priorities report a measurable return. Where it does not agree, the figure is 37%.

FAQ

Is the agentic web the same as agentic AI?

No. Agentic AI is the technology: AI that can take actions. The agentic web is what happens when buyers, customers and suppliers use it to find and deal with each other online.

Do we need our own customer-facing AI agent now?

Not yet for most UK organisations. Start by making sure AI tools describe you accurately and can check what you claim. Pilot a customer agent where you already handle high volumes of similar questions.

Which half should we start with?

Inside. An agent running one well-chosen workflow can show a return within months. What you learn about cost and oversight will shape how you face the agentic web later.

Keep going

This is the first guide in our theme on AI agents and the agentic web. Every piece lives on the AI agents and the agentic web page. Get the next one in aiblBRIEF, our weekly newsletter, and follow the theme through to aiblLIVE on 13 July 2027.