Earlier today I had a conversation with a software engineer I’ve worked with in the arts industry for many years. We talked about the fact that while there’s a lot of hype around AI, the actual specific ways it can transform our lives so far has been more obscure. Yes, there are super users - just yesterday OpenAI (the developer of ChatGPT reported that it is losing mopney on its $200/month plan, because super-users are using too much of it! However, here in the real world the discussions about artificial intelligence (AI)keep coming back to the question: “What’s it for?” What are the specific, compelling use cases for AI today? And, for the rest of us casual users, perhaps there just aren’t that many.
The Transitional Phase of AI
I believe we’re in a kind of interregnum—a transitional period between the promise of artificial intelligence and the reality of its widespread adoption for specific, meaningful uses. Specifically, I am referring to things that are super easy, intuitive, require minimal training, and genuinely transform the way we live and work.
What Are AI Agents?
One area that fascinates me, and seems to hold immense potential, is the emerging notion of AI agents. So, what exactly is an AI agent? An AI agent is a piece of technology designed to perform multiple tasks sequentially, mimicking the behavior of a human assistant. Let’s use a straightforward example to illustrate this.
Imagine you want to buy a pair of running shoes on Amazon. The process today involves several steps: navigating to the website, searching for running shoes, selecting a brand, size, and color (or a specific model), adding the item to your cart, entering your shipping information, inputting your payment details, and finally confirming the purchase.
Now picture an alternative scenario. An AI agent, preloaded with your buying preferences— handles this entire process for you. All you would do is instruct the agent to buy the running shoes, and it would execute all the necessary steps, independently, without requiring your intervention. That’s the promise of AI agents.
AI in the Arts Example
Let’s consider how this could apply to the arts. Yesterday, I needed to exchange concert tickets for an event I’d booked in February but could no longer attend. The process involved logging into the website, selecting the event, clicking multiple buttons to pick new seats, and paying a small fee for the change. While the system worked, it required several interactions on my part.
Now imagine an AI agent performing this task. I could simply type a command into my browser: “Please exchange my tickets for February 5th to March 7th, with the same or better seats.” The agent would know which organization I’ve got tickets for - and it would handle all the rest—from navigating the website to completing the transaction. Now imagine this on a massive scale -- this kind of automation (if done perfectly) would indeed save time and make our lives a lot nicer (in this one particular way. If this kind of thing worked consistently well, I can’t imagine going back to the “old way.”
The Future of AI Agents
In the next year, I think we will see a wave of tech companies releasing AI agents capable of these kinds of complex, multi-step tasks, and potential feels pretty exciting. As these AI agents evolve, they could revolutionize the arts sector—helping managers and patrons streamline tasks—much as they will do in other industries.
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