ANN ARBOR – AI is evolving beyond chatbots into autonomous “AI agents” capable of performing real work — researching information, writing reports, managing workflows, analyzing data and even making decisions with minimal human supervision. Major tech companies are investing billions into agentic AI, which many experts believe could become the next great technology revolution. In this episode, David Crabill breaks down what AI agents are, how they work, and why businesses across Michigan should be paying close attention.
Michigan Marijuana Today, a weekly program focused on the latest news in the cannabis and hemp markets in the state, has a new co-host, David Crabill, the former president of the Industrial Hemp Association of Michigan, or iHemp for short.
Crabill also has been active creating websites since the mid 1990s, when Internet browsers were introduced. His company is Active Intelligent Marketing. His latest project is using an AI Agent to help him publish stories on 17 iHemp websites he has created for 19 different states.
What he has learned is using AI agents, like Open Claw, has helped increase his efficiency by assigning repetitve tasks for it to manage.
For instance, tracking inventory for cannabis and hemp companies is an example where it could take the burden of managing inventory, taking the burden off humans.
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly evolving beyond simple chatbots into what the tech industry now calls “AI agents” — autonomous software systems capable of performing multi-step tasks with limited human supervision. Unlike traditional AI that only responds to prompts, AI agents can plan, reason, access software tools, interact with databases, analyze information, and even take action on behalf of users.
Tech giants including OpenAI, Microsoft, Google Cloud and Meta are investing billions into “agentic AI,” which many analysts believe represents the next major phase of the AI revolution.
The difference is significant: Chatbots answer questions. AI agents complete objectives.
An AI agent can already:
- Schedule meetings
- Research topics online
- Write reports
- Analyze business data
- Manage workflows
- Monitor systems
- Execute software tasks
- Interact with other AI agents
In some enterprise environments, AI agents are now being deployed as digital co-workers handling repetitive office work, customer service, software coding, cybersecurity monitoring, legal research and financial analysis.
Researchers say the technology is moving from the “chat era” into the “do era” — where AI not only generates information, but actively performs work.
According to IBM, AI agents are designed to autonomously perform tasks by creating workflows and using digital tools much like a human employee would. Google Cloud describes AI agents as software systems with reasoning, planning and memory capabilities that can pursue goals on behalf of users.
The technology is advancing so quickly that even the Pentagon is now experimenting with thousands of AI agents to automate administrative tasks and data analysis. Meanwhile, companies in law, finance, healthcare and manufacturing are racing to determine which jobs can be augmented — or partially replaced — by autonomous AI systems.
Industry analysts increasingly compare AI agents to the early days of the internet or smartphones — a foundational technology shift that could reshape business operations over the next decade.
You can learn more by watching this video, or by clicking on www.activeintelligent.com.
