Recently, the Google Cloud team presented the “2026 AI Agent Trends Report.” The gathered information on successful cases shows that as of now, AI agents are already capable of understanding goals, semi-autonomously developing a multi-step plan, and acting on your behalf (under your expert guidance and supervision).

You can view the full e-book at this link (English language). Below in this article is a brief overview of five key trends defining how agents will fundamentally change business and create new value in 2026.

1. AI agents will help employees become more productive

Employees will be able to delegate tasks to various AI agents to achieve their goals. This will shift their daily work from routine tasks to higher-level strategic management. AI is already becoming a primary driver of workflows: over 57,000 team members at Telus regularly use AI, saving 40 minutes on every interaction. Meanwhile, Suzano, the world’s largest pulp producer, developed a Gemini Pro-based AI agent that translates natural language queries into SQL code—this allowed 50,000 employees to reduce query execution time by 95%.

2. Agents will interact with each other in workflow chains

Multiple agents in a system can collaborate, coordinate actions, and communicate with each other to automate complex multi-step processes. Such sophisticated automation goes beyond standard chatbots that simply answer questions.

In 2026, we will see companies begin to assemble agents according to their needs, launching entire “turnkey” workflows. For example, Salesforce and Google Cloud are creating cross-platform AI agents using the Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol—this is a major step toward creating an open, interoperable foundation for “agentic enterprises.”

3. Agents will provide five-star service for everyone

Scripted chatbots and reactive customer service are becoming a thing of the past. In 2026, agents will accelerate this transition, making hyper-personalized “concierge-style” service the new standard for interaction. For example, global manufacturer Danfoss uses AI agents to automate order processing via email. This has allowed for the automation of 80% of transactional decisions and reduced the average customer response time from 42 hours to nearly real-time.

4. AI agents will enhance operational security

In modern Security Operations Centers (SOC), analysts are often overwhelmed by a constant stream of data and alerts. AI agents provide security teams with the extra power and coverage needed to detect and respond to threats faster. Macquarie Bank ensures effective proactive fraud protection using Google Cloud AI, directing 38% more users to high-quality automatic query resolution and reducing false positive alerts by 40%.

The Google team predicts that 2026 will be the year AI agents take on the heaviest lifting in security, automating routine tasks such as triage and incident investigation. This will allow human analysts to focus on threat hunting and developing new types of protection.

5. Companies will double down on training an AI-ready workforce

The biggest challenge and critical success factor for implementing new technologies is people. Throughout 2026, organizations will move from simply buying AI tools to building an AI-ready workforce. Instead of one-off training sessions, companies will implement continuous learning plans. Such programs offer hands-on work with real scenarios, allowing employees to master AI skills at their own pace and on their own schedule.