Enterprise AI shifts to agents
What happened
- Major cloud vendors are moving from standalone chatbots to AI 'agents' that act across business systems. - Google highlighted Gemini Enterprise integrated into Slack via Salesforce, plus partnerships with SAP and Merck. - The product direction prioritizes workflow orchestration, permissions, and continuity over isolated chat experiences. (reuters.com)
Why it matters
Google is recasting its enterprise artificial intelligence business around “agents” that can take actions across company software, not just answer questions in a chat window. (reuters.com) At Google Cloud Next in Las Vegas on April 22, Google said its Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform folds together model tuning, agent integration, security, DevOps and orchestration in what it called the evolution of Vertex AI. (blog.google) An agent is software that can use tools and follow steps across systems, more like a digital worker than a chatbot. Google’s Agent Development Kit is built for that kind of multi-agent workflow and runs on Vertex AI Agent Engine Runtime. (docs.cloud.google.com) Google and Salesforce said on April 22 that customers will be able to deploy agents in Slack and Google Workspace, with Gemini Enterprise and Agentforce sharing context behind the scenes. The companies said the setup is meant to let agents work across both platforms without moving data into a separate silo. (salesforce.com) Google and SAP also expanded their partnership on April 22 so SAP’s Joule agents in customer-experience software can work with Gemini Enterprise as a central hub across SAP and Google Cloud systems. SAP said the initial use case is marketing teams building, launching and optimizing campaigns. (news.sap.com) Merck said the same day that it will use Gemini Enterprise in a multi-year partnership with Google Cloud to build what the companies called an “agentic” platform across research, manufacturing, commercial and corporate work. Google’s press materials said the investment is valued at up to $1 billion. (merck.com) (googlecloudpresscorner.com) The pitch has shifted from a single assistant answering prompts to a managed system of agents with identity, permissions, monitoring and handoffs. Google said the new platform is a “one-stop-shop” for autonomous agents and tied it directly to enterprise security and governance controls. (blog.google) That puts Google in the same race as other cloud vendors trying to turn generative artificial intelligence into software that completes work inside corporate systems. Reuters reported that Alphabet used the conference to show investors that agents are central to how it plans to make money from artificial intelligence in enterprise software. (reuters.com) Google’s own conference framing was blunt: “the Agentic Enterprise” was the theme of Next 2026, and Sundar Pichai’s keynote positioned Gemini Enterprise as the product meant to bring Google AI to every employee. The company said organizations are now buying a full stack that links models, data, infrastructure and security, with agents as the layer that acts on top. (cloud.google.com) (blog.google)
Key numbers
- (reuters.com) At Google Cloud Next in Las Vegas on April 22, Google said its Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform folds together model tuning, agent integration, security, DevOps and orchestration in what it called the evolution of Vertex AI.
- (docs.cloud.google.com) Google and Salesforce said on April 22 that customers will be able to deploy agents in Slack and Google Workspace, with Gemini Enterprise and Agentforce sharing context behind the scenes.
- (salesforce.com) Google and SAP also expanded their partnership on April 22 so SAP’s Joule agents in customer-experience software can work with Gemini Enterprise as a central hub across SAP and Google Cloud systems.
- Google’s press materials said the investment is valued at up to $1 billion.
What happens next
- (reuters.com) At Google Cloud Next in Las Vegas on April 22, Google said its Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform folds together model tuning, agent integration, security, DevOps and orchestration in what it called the evolution of Vertex AI.
- (docs.cloud.google.com) Google and Salesforce said on April 22 that customers will be able to deploy agents in Slack and Google Workspace, with Gemini Enterprise and Agentforce sharing context behind the scenes.
- (news.sap.com) Merck said the same day that it will use Gemini Enterprise in a multi-year partnership with Google Cloud to build what the companies called an “agentic” platform across research, manufacturing, commercial and corporate work.
Quick answers
What happened in Enterprise AI shifts to agents?
Major cloud vendors are moving from standalone chatbots to AI 'agents' that act across business systems. Google highlighted Gemini Enterprise integrated into Slack via Salesforce, plus partnerships with SAP and Merck. The product direction prioritizes workflow orchestration, permissions, and continuity over isolated chat experiences. (reuters.com)
Why does Enterprise AI shifts to agents matter?
Google is recasting its enterprise artificial intelligence business around “agents” that can take actions across company software, not just answer questions in a chat window. (reuters.com) At Google Cloud Next in Las Vegas on April 22, Google said its Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform folds together model tuning, agent integration, security, DevOps and orchestration in what it called the evolution of Vertex AI. (blog.google) An agent is software that can use tools and follow steps across systems, more like a digital worker than a chatbot. Google’s Agent Development Kit is built for that kind of multi-agent workflow and runs on Vertex AI Agent Engine Runtime. (docs.cloud.google.com) Google and Salesforce said on April 22 that customers will be able to deploy agents in Slack and Google Workspace, with Gemini Enterprise and Agentforce sharing context behind the scenes. The companies said the setup is meant to let agents work across both platforms without moving data into a separate silo. (salesforce.com) Google and SAP also expanded their partnership on April 22 so SAP’s Joule agents in customer-experience software can work with Gemini Enterprise as a central hub across SAP and Google Cloud systems. SAP said the initial use case is marketing teams building, launching and optimizing campaigns. (news.sap.com) Merck said the same day that it will use Gemini Enterprise in a multi-year partnership with Google Cloud to build what the companies called an “agentic” platform across research, manufacturing, commercial and corporate work. Google’s press materials said the investment is valued at up to $1 billion. (merck.com) (googlecloudpresscorner.com) The pitch has shifted from a single assistant answering prompts to a managed system of agents with identity, permissions, monitoring and handoffs. Google said the new platform is a “one-stop-shop” for autonomous agents and tied it directly to enterprise security and governance controls. (blog.google) That puts Google in the same race as other cloud vendors trying to turn generative artificial intelligence into software that completes work inside corporate systems. Reuters reported that Alphabet used the conference to show investors that agents are central to how it plans to make money from artificial intelligence in enterprise software. (reuters.com) Google’s own conference framing was blunt: “the Agentic Enterprise” was the theme of Next 2026, and Sundar Pichai’s keynote positioned Gemini Enterprise as the product meant to bring Google AI to every employee. The company said organizations are now buying a full stack that links models, data, infrastructure and security, with agents as the layer that acts on top. (cloud.google.com) (blog.google)
