Input Stories

One of the most popular current uses of generative artificial intelligence among businesses: taking “chatbots to the next level” (The Wall Street Journal, subscription).
 
What’s going on: “Software companies from Salesforce to ServiceNow, Microsoft and Workday last year all announced their own AI agents, which they say can help businesses be even more hands-off in areas like recruiting employees, contacting potential sales leads, creating marketing content and managing their information technology.”

Why it’s important: If the bots work the way they’re expected to, they could finally yield the return on investment the business world has been seeking.

• The technology is being used for chatbots in everything from manufacturing to finance and ecommerce.

AI agents in manufacturing: New Jersey–based health care company Johnson & Johnson is using the bots to help it during the new drug discovery phase.

• “Once a promising pharmaceutical molecule has been identified, according to Chief Information Officer Jim Swanson, it needs to be measured for its cost effectiveness and reliability. … The solution: an autonomous AI agent that can determine the best time to conduct a solvent switch, a process where one solvent is swapped for another to crystallize a molecule and actually create the drug, Swanson said.”

A caveat: J&J is optimistic about the technology’s potential but moving forward cautiously. It is still working on improving the flow of employee review of the automated agents’ output, Swanson told the Journal.