Bret Taylor, co-founder and CEO of Sierra, a startup specializing in enterprise customer service AI agents, holds a strong conviction that the fundamental way humans interact with software is poised for a significant transformation in the near future.
Just last month, Sierra unveiled Ghostwriter, an innovative agent specifically engineered to construct other agents. This "agent as a service" offering aims to supplant traditional click-based web applications with natural language interactions. Users will simply articulate their needs, enabling Ghostwriter to autonomously generate and deploy a specialized agent to perform the desired task.
The concept of substituting conventional software with language-driven prompts is particularly compelling because many tools currently deployed within enterprises see infrequent use, notes Taylor, who previously served as co-CEO of Salesforce.
“You sign into Workday when you onboard as a new employee, and maybe for open enrollment,” Taylor informed attendees at the HumanX conference in San Francisco. He posited that instead of grappling with complex system navigation, users will soon leverage natural language to accomplish tasks without ever engaging with a software interface.
“I truly think that’s where the world is going,” Taylor asserted.
He further elaborated that Sierra is already utilizing Ghostwriter to deploy agents at what he describes as “unparalleled speeds.” As a practical illustration, Taylor cited his startup's achievement of implementing an agent for Nordstrom in a mere four weeks.
Last fall, Sierra announced a remarkable achievement, reaching a $100 million annual revenue run rate (ARR) less than 21 months after its inception. The company's valuation last stood at $10 billion following a $350 million funding round led by Greenoaks Capital in September.
“Most companies don’t want to make software,” Taylor stated. “They want solutions to their problems.”
However, while Taylor anticipates a profound shift in software paradigms, several technologists and investors have indicated to TechCrunch that, for the time being, the implementation of AI agents remains far from fully autonomous.
Many companies purporting to offer AI agents, including Sierra and legal AI startup Harvey, rely on "forward-deployed" engineers who are consistently engaged in updating and fine-tuning customer agents to ensure their intended functionality.
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