As I write this, my IDE is implementing a feature for a project I am working on while another AI agent is reviewing my pull request. I am not using AI to write this, but would you be surprised if I was? This is a completely different way of working even though I am still doing the same things. I am just more productive and have to do less repetitive work.

So if we take inspiration from what is happening now with software engineering, the future of work will be a close collaboration between human and AI. In the same way that using a computer is synonymous with work, using AI will also become the way we work. The way this is realised in software is by having a side window with an AI assistant where you describe what you want and then the agent plans and executes step by step, occasionally asking you before continuing. I believe this is an experience that will extend to most tools professionals use.

This is already happening. Excel recently launched the same experience within Excel. I think this is good news — AI is adding superpowers, not taking away our roles. The superpower is having a personal assistant by our side, instructing it to do mundane tasks such as finding a document lost somewhere in our emails or cloud storage, write a professional reply, review our work, write that Excel formula or Python function, etc.

It seems that this is going to be the decade, not just year, of agents as this technology diffuses to all facets of work…