You know the old saying: give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; Teach a man to fish and you feed him for the rest of his life.
For leaders, first-generation AI tools are like giving employees fish. Agentic AI, on the other hand, teaches them how to fish – truly empowering, and that empowerment lifts the entire organization. According to recent findings from McKinseyNearly eight in 10 companies report using gene AI, but about the same number report no impact on the bottom line. Agentic AI can help organizations achieve meaningful results.
AI agents are highly capable assistants that can perform tasks independently. Equipped with artificial intelligence that simulates human reasoning, they can recognize problems, remember past interactions, and proactively take steps to get things done – whether that means eliminating tedious manual tasks or helping generate innovative solutions. For CEOs juggling countless responsibilities, agentic AI can be a powerful ally in simplifying decision-making and increasing impact. That’s why I believe it belongs on every CEO’s roadmap to 2026.
As the CEO of a SaaS company focused on automation, I have made it a priority to incorporate agentic AI into our daily workflows. Here are three ways you can apply this in your organization.
1. Take the effort out of planning
Starting with one of the most fundamental functions of any organization – and one that can easily become a time and energy vacuum – planning is the perfect fodder for AI agents. And they go far beyond your typical AI-powered planning tool.
For starters, they are customizable. AI agents can monitor incoming data and requests, proactively adjust schedules, and notify relevant parties when issues arise. Suppose your team has a standing brainstorming session every Wednesday and a new client reaches out at the same time to request an introductory meeting. Your agent can respond automatically with alternative time slots. On the other hand, if a customer needs to connect for a time-sensitive issue, your agent can forward the request to a human agent to decide if a new appointment makes sense.
You can also personalize AI agents based on your unique needs and priorities, including past interactions. For example, if your agent finds out early in the morning that you religiously protect time for deep work, he won’t suggest any more meetings.
By delegating planning tasks, organizations – from the CEO to interns – free up time for higher-level priorities and more meaningful work. You can build your own agent or get started with a ready-made scheduling assistant that offers agent capabilities, like Reclaim.ai.
- Facilitate idea generation and innovation
When we talk about AI and creativity, the conversation often raises fears about artificial intelligence replacing human creativity. But agentic AI can help generate ideas for engagement, leadership development, and strategic initiatives. The goal is to cultivate the conditions in which these initiatives can thrive, not to replace actual brainstorming or strategic thinking.
For example, you can create an idea-driven AI agent and train it on relevant organizational context: performance data, KPIs, meeting notes, employee engagement data, culture touchpoints, and more. Your agent can continuously gather new information and update their internal knowledge.
When the time comes for a brainstorming or strategy session (which the agent can also proactively initiate), he can draw on this organizational working memory plus any other resources he has access to, and use generative AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini to generate themes, suggest topics, and help guide the discussion. Meanwhile, leaders remain focused on evaluating ideas, decision-making and execution.
- Error-free progress updates and year-end reviews
While generative AI can be incredibly powerful, the problem remains that it is largely reactive and not proactive. When it comes to tracking performance, team KPIs, and organizational progress, manual check-ins are still required. As I’ve written before, manual tasks are subject to human error. Calendar alerts go unnoticed. Things slip through the cracks. Small problems become big problems.
One solution is to design an AI agent that can autonomously monitor your organization’s performance. Continuous, real-time monitoring ensures processes run smoothly and problems are caught as they arise. For example, if your company sells workout gear and sees an uptick in fitness resolutions and demand for a specific product after the new year, an agent can track sales patterns and alert the team to inventory shortages. An AI agent can also independently generate reports, including year-end summaries that are crucial for continued growth.
Instead of waiting for direction from a human, they can do the work alone and raise only the issues that require human judgment.
Agents have the potential to create real value for organizations. Importantly, leaders must rethink workflows so that AI agents are meaningfully integrated, completely freeing employees from routine, manual tasks and allowing them to focus on more consequential, inspiring work like strategy and critical thinking. I have noticed that this gives employees more energy and that the benefits continue to increase.
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