Google and Microsoft toolkits exemplify agentic AI adoption
The enterprise adoption of agentic AI is moving beyond chatbots to embedded, multi-step workflow automation. Specific platforms gaining traction include Google’s Agentspace for cross-silo enterprise search and Dynamics365’s MCP toolkit for automating sales and support tasks. The key differentiator for enterprise adoption is an orchestration layer that manages permissions, observability, and compliance for AI agents.
- Recent reports indicate a significant acceleration in agentic AI adoption, with the use of multi-agent workflows reportedly soaring 327% in the last half of 2025. This trend is projected to continue, with the agentic AI market forecasted to grow from $5.25 billion in 2024 to over $199 billion by 2034, expanding at a 43.84% compound annual growth rate. - Google's agent-building platform, now consolidated under Vertex AI Agent Builder, provides an open framework called the Agent Development Kit (ADK) for creating sophisticated, multi-agent systems in Python. It is designed to manage multi-step workflows by integrating with enterprise data and a wide range of tools, including Google Search, Vertex AI Search, and over 100 enterprise applications through Integration Connectors. - Microsoft's strategy centers on its Power Platform and Copilot Studio, enabling the creation of autonomous agents that execute multi-step workflows across Microsoft 365 applications like Teams and Outlook, as well as Dynamics 365. A key component is the Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, which acts as a standardized communication layer allowing AI agents to interact with and control data and logic within Power Apps and Dynamics 365 without custom integrations. - Within the adtech sector, agentic AI is being applied to automate complex tasks like media buying, creative optimization, and real-time campaign adjustments. A notable development is the launch of AdCP, an open protocol created by a consortium including PubMatic and Yahoo!, designed to enable interoperability between different AI agents across the advertising ecosystem. - For a CTO at a growth-stage B2B SaaS company, the role evolves from hands-on coding in early stages (Seed/Series A) to strategic leadership as the firm scales. Key responsibilities shift to setting architectural direction, scaling the engineering organization, managing budgets, and balancing technical debt against innovation velocity. - The London tech startup ecosystem remains a top global hub, ranking third behind the Bay Area and New York, having attracted a record $3.5 billion in AI-related VC funding in 2024. In the first half of 2024, UK tech startups secured $6.7 billion in total funding, with significant rounds for companies like Wayve ($1.05B) and Monzo ($620M). - Programmatic advertising in the UK is a mature market, with automated trading accounting for 96% of all digital display ad spending. Future growth is projected to come from channels like Connected TV (CTV) and Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH), with the overall UK programmatic market forecast to grow at a CAGR of 14.37% between 2025 and 2035. - In Formula 1, recent technical innovations seen in 2026 pre-season testing include radical new sidepod designs from Audi and a rotating rear wing from Ferrari that inverts on the straights to reduce drag. This follows the sport's 2022 reintroduction of "ground effect" aerodynamics, designed to allow cars to race more closely by generating downforce from the car's floor.
