GLOSSARY
AI agent
An AI agent pursues an assigned goal, selects subsequent steps and uses tools when needed within specified permissions and operating boundaries.
Research with a bounded assignment
Before a customer meeting, the annual report, product portfolio and unanswered questions may be scattered across several sources. An agent could identify missing information, retrieve relevant material and flag contradictions for review. The potential benefit comes from handling these steps together: a person has less coordination work. A poorly bounded assignment can instead trigger an expanding investigation. Extra activity then adds cost without improving the negotiation decision. Even a useful finding should not automatically become an unreviewed commitment to a customer.
Autonomy needs a testable stopping point
A pilot should define the objective, permitted tools, time budget and stopping conditions in advance. Research and sending a binding proposal require different permissions. Human review belongs where the consequences justify it. An evaluation therefore examines the process as well as the answer: which sources were used, which actions occurred and which uncertainties remained? Compare total working time, including checking and correction. That comparison establishes whether the agent actually reduces the sales team’s workload.