Major tech players like Microsoft are making significant moves in the agentic agentic AI space, and AI agents have begun revolutionising various business operations.
When investor and entrepreneur Jake Jolis accidentally listed his personal phone number in an SEC filing years ago, the resulting flood of misdirected calls led to an unexpected revelation: the potential for agentic AI to autonomously handle routine business interactions.
Sometimes the best ideas come from life’s little mishaps – although granted, not usually from having your phone number accidentally indexed by Google.
From Irritation to Innovation
This telephonic blunder eventually inspired Answering Machine, a startup using agentic artificial intelligence to manage incoming calls for small businesses, particularly in the home services sector.
The company now handles thousands of calls for small businesses. The AI receptionist independently manages customer interactions, collecting essential information and delivering summarised reports to business owners. For busy professionals who can’t answer calls while elbow-deep in their work, this autonomous system transforms missed calls into captured opportunities.
Our goal is to bring AI to Main Street
Jake Jolis, CEO of Answering Machine
Beyond the Reception Desk
Answering Machine is part of the growing wave of agentic AI business solutions – systems that can independently perform tasks that would previously be undertaken by people..
Adept’s ACT-1 system demonstrates how agentic AI can navigate complex software interfaces, executing multi-step tasks like data entry and report generation with minimal human oversight. Similarly, Harvey AI assists law firms by independently conducting legal research and drafting preliminary documents, functioning as an autonomous legal assistant – though it has yet to master the art of billing 300 hours in a 24-hour day.
The retail sector has embraced agentic AI through automated inventory management systems. These AI agents continuously monitor stock levels, predict demand patterns, and independently initiate purchase orders when supplies run low. Major retailers report significant reductions in stockouts and carrying costs since implementing these systems. It’s like having a perfectionist employee who never needs coffee breaks.
From major tech players like Microsoft to startups like Answering Machine focusing on a single solution; innovators of all sizes are betting big on agentic AI.
Human Touch Meets Artificial Intelligence
What makes these applications particularly valuable is their ability to operate independently, with a nod to the business’ unique objectives and tendencies.
Rather than requiring constant supervision, they can make decisions within defined parameters and learn from interactions to improve their performance over time. The technology isn’t about replacing human workers – it’s about supporting and augmenting their capabilities. “When an agentic AI can handle routine tasks independently, it frees up humans to focus on complex problem-solving and relationship building,” notes Jolis.
Agentic AI: The Great Equaliser?
Agentic AI will be a game-changer for small businesses in particular, as it democratises access to capabilities once reserved for larger corporations.
The 5-person startup without a receptionist can now provide the same level of responsiveness as a major service company, levelling the playing field in an increasingly competitive market.
The accidental discovery that led to Answering Machine underscores a crucial point: as agentic AI becomes more capable of independent action, its potential to transform business operations is limited only by our imagination and willingness to embrace new solutions.
