How NASA and AT&T Use AI to Make Decisions

Beyond chatbots, companies like NASA and AT&T are now using Agentic AI to perform real tasks and support complex business decisions.

While the initial excitement around generative AI has settled, companies are now quietly deploying thousands of AI agents into their daily operations. This evolution, known as Agentic AI, shifts the focus from simply creating content to actively performing tasks and supporting complex decision-making. Unlike chatbots that respond to prompts, these AI agents can autonomously execute multi-step workflows, analyze data, and take action to achieve specific goals. Early adopters include major organizations across various sectors, such as NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, AT&T, insurance giant Aflac, and Atlantic Health System. These companies are using agentic systems to streamline everything from complex claims processing and IT help-desk automation to scientific data analysis and entertainment production planning. This marks a significant move for AI from a creative assistant to a core operational team member.

For business and technology leaders, this trend signals a critical shift from AI experimentation to strategic integration. Agentic AI promises to unlock a new level of productivity by automating entire business processes, not just discrete tasks. Instead of an employee using a generative AI tool to write an email, an AI agent could be tasked with managing an entire customer onboarding sequence—from sending personalized communications and updating CRM records to scheduling follow-up meetings and flagging potential issues for human review. This requires a different approach to implementation, focusing on robust workflow design, secure data access, and deep system integration. As this technology matures, companies must develop new strategies for managing and securing fleets of AI agents, ensuring they operate reliably and in alignment with business objectives. The conversation is shifting from what AI can write to what it can achieve for the business.