AI Explored: Creating AI Agents—The Future of Work is Here

Host: Michael Stelzner, Social Media Examiner
Guest: Sean Kanungo, Author of Bold, Innovate and Disrupt to Become Truly Indispensable
Release Date: January 14, 2025

1. Introduction to Sean Kanungo

Michael Stelzner kicks off the episode by introducing Sean Kanungo, a seasoned innovation strategist with over a decade of experience at Deloitte. Sean is also renowned for his podcast, Dangerous Ideas, and his influential book, Bold, Innovate and Disrupt to Become Truly Indispensable. The conversation centers around the transformative role of AI in the future of work, particularly focusing on the emergence of AI agents.

2. Sean’s Journey into AI

Sean delves into his extensive background, highlighting his 12-year tenure at Deloitte where he spearheaded strategy and innovation initiatives globally. His initial foray into AI was through Robotic Process Automation (RPA) around 2016-2017. Sean describes RPA as "Excel macros on steroids," emphasizing its ability to automate repetitive, rule-based tasks with significant ROI, especially in finance and operations teams.

Sean Kanungo [02:32]: "I believe that this revolution is a thousand X what the Internet is."

Sean’s exploration didn’t stop there; he also experimented with IBM Watson to address client challenges, laying the groundwork for his current focus on generative AI and building AI agents. His passion for AI stems from witnessing its profound impact on democratizing technology and reshaping organizational workflows.

3. Defining AI Agents

The conversation shifts to demystifying AI agents. Sean defines an AI agent as an entity that "mimics humans," enabling customers or employees to solve problems and take action through natural, conversational interactions.

Sean Kanungo [17:25]: "An agent is mimicking humans. It is enabling your customers or employees to get answers, to solve problems, to take action through a natural conversational experience and doing it autonomously."

He differentiates AI agents from traditional bots by emphasizing their autonomous and human-like interaction capabilities. Examples include customer service bots and internal agents like finance payroll assistants that handle tasks such as processing invoices by interacting with various systems.

4. The Impact of AI on Marketing and Organizational Work

Sean posits that the AI revolution is exponentially greater than the Internet revolution, primarily because it democratizes technology. For marketers, AI presents a dual advantage:

1. Increased Productivity: Automating repetitive tasks allows marketers to focus on creative and strategic endeavors.
2. Enhanced Creativity: With AI handling mundane tasks, marketers can delve deeper into innovative and authentic storytelling.

Michael Stelzner [10:22]: "The two big unlocks for marketers are increasing their productivity and giving them time to do deep work."

Sean elaborates that in an AI-dominated landscape, creativity becomes the key differentiator. With tools like Sora (a text-to-video generator by OpenAI) and Runway ML, marketers can prototype and visualize ideas rapidly, fostering a new communication layer that transcends traditional resource constraints.

5. Practical Steps to Creating AI Agents

Transitioning from theory to practice, Sean outlines a step-by-step approach to building AI agents:

1. Identify Repetitive Challenges: Pinpoint tasks that are time-consuming and ripe for automation.
2. Leverage AI for Automation: Use platforms like Lindy AI, which Sean praises for its ease of integration and API connectivity.
3. Create a Sandbox Environment: Establish a safe testing ground to experiment without disrupting core operations.
4. Iterate and Scale: Start with small-scale tests, gather feedback, and gradually integrate AI agents into broader organizational workflows.

Sean Kanungo [24:44]: "Take the problems within your business that are the most annoying, the most repetitive, and the most frequent, and see where you can automate some of those things."

He emphasizes the importance of governance and process mapping, drawing from his Deloitte experience, to ensure seamless integration and minimize risks associated with AI agent deployment.

6. Tools and Platforms for AI Agents

Sean highlights Lindy AI as a standout platform for creating AI agents. Unlike traditional automation tools like Make.com or Zapier, Lindy AI offers out-of-the-box integrations that simplify the process of connecting various APIs without requiring extensive technical expertise.

Sean Kanungo [28:37]: "It's already integrated with all these different, you know, the common platforms that people are using. So it's just a matter of connecting those APIs."

He contrasts this with older automation tools, which often require more technical intervention, thereby lowering the barrier to entry for non-technical users looking to implement AI solutions.

7. Risks and Challenges with AI Agents

While the potential of AI agents is vast, Sean cautions about the inherent risks:

• Accuracy and Hallucinations: AI models can sometimes produce unreliable outputs. Techniques like Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) are being developed to enhance reliability by grounding AI responses in internal data sources.

  Sean Kanungo [34:52]: "AI is not good without rules. The problem with generative AI today is that there is still... it can still hallucinate."

• Governance and Security: Proper administration is crucial to prevent policy fragmentation and mitigate cybersecurity threats. Sean underscores the need for robust governance frameworks to oversee AI deployments effectively.

• Ethical Considerations: The misuse of AI for creating deepfakes, scams, or other malicious activities poses significant ethical challenges.

He advocates for building a "muscle" around AI—experimenting, understanding its limitations, and developing governance to harness its benefits while mitigating risks.

8. Future Predictions: 2026 and Beyond

Looking ahead to 2026, Sean envisions AI agents becoming ubiquitous across organizations. He predicts that:

• Widespread Adoption: Every organization will implement at least one AI agent to handle specific tasks.
• Enhanced Capabilities: AI agents will move closer to true autonomy, handling more complex tasks with minimal human oversight.
• Digital Workforce Integration: Companies will not only manage human teams but also their AI workforce, integrating AI agents seamlessly into daily operations.

Sean Kanungo [38:25]: "Every organization is going to start to talk about AI agents. And at a very, I would say it's not going to do what computer use can do. It can take a look at, it can go between all these different systems, it can mimic everything that we can do."

Michael Stelzner echoes these sentiments, anticipating advancements in AI-driven customer service and healthcare, where AI agents will handle initial customer interactions and diagnostic procedures, thereby reducing costs and increasing efficiency.

9. Conclusion and Key Takeaways

The episode culminates with Sean urging listeners to engage with AI proactively:

• Start Small: Begin with low-risk experiments to understand AI’s capabilities and limitations.
• Focus on Governance: Implement robust policies to oversee AI integrations and mitigate risks.
• Embrace Creativity: Use AI as a tool to enhance creativity and strategic thinking rather than as a replacement for human ingenuity.

Sean Kanungo [43:36]: "Build a muscle around it because when you start building a muscle, you actually understand the downside."

Michael encourages listeners to explore AI tools like Lindy AI and consider attending events like Social Media Marketing World 2025 to deepen their understanding of AI applications in marketing.

Key Quotes

• Sean Kanungo [02:32]: "I believe that this revolution is a thousand X what the Internet is."
• Michael Stelzner [10:22]: "The two big unlocks for marketers are increasing their productivity and giving them time to do deep work."
• Sean Kanungo [28:37]: "It's already integrated with all these different, you know, the common platforms that people are using. So it's just a matter of connecting those APIs."
• Sean Kanungo [34:52]: "AI is not good without rules. The problem with generative AI today is that there is still... it can still hallucinate."
• Sean Kanungo [38:25]: "Every organization is going to start to talk about AI agents."

Final Thoughts

This episode of AI Explored provides a comprehensive look into the burgeoning field of AI agents and their potential to revolutionize the workplace. Sean Kanungo offers actionable insights for marketers and business owners eager to harness AI's power, emphasizing the importance of starting small, maintaining robust governance, and leveraging AI to amplify human creativity. As AI technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, staying informed and adaptable will be crucial for thriving in the future of work.

For more detailed show notes, visit Social Media Examiner Podcast.