Google bets on agentic enterprise

Google used its Cloud Next conference on April 22 to put AI agents at the center of its enterprise pitch, framing them as software workers for office tasks. (reuters.com) At the Las Vegas event, Alphabet Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said agents are becoming a core way Google plans to make money from artificial intelligence through cloud software. Reuters reported the push comes as Google tries to sell more enterprise tools to businesses, not just consumer AI products. (reuters.com) An AI agent is software that can carry out a sequence of steps on a user’s behalf, like gathering information, filling forms, or moving data between apps. Google’s new Chrome Enterprise features use Gemini to read what is open in browser tabs and automate tasks such as research, data entry, travel booking, and meeting scheduling. (techcrunch.com) Google said the new Chrome capability is called “auto browse,” and TechCrunch reported it is aimed at enterprise users in the United States. The same product update also adds “AI Skills,” which let companies build task-specific browser automations without requiring employees to write code. (techcrunch.com) The sales pitch is not just software. Google Cloud also announced a $750 million partner fund on April 22 to help consulting firms, systems integrators, software vendors, and channel partners build and deploy these agents for customers. (googlecloudpresscorner.com) Google said the fund will cover incentives, engineering help, training, and go-to-market support across its 120,000-member partner ecosystem. Google’s partner blog said the money is meant to speed agent development, deployment, and education “globally,” including through its Agent Marketplace and a new Agent Gallery in Gemini Enterprise. (googlecloudpresscorner.com, cloud.google.com) Google tied the agent push to usage numbers it says are already large inside its cloud business. In a Cloud Next roundup, the company said nearly 75% of Google Cloud customers use its artificial intelligence products, and 330 customers processed more than 1 trillion tokens each over the past 12 months. (blog.google) The backdrop is a crowded market. Bloomberg reported Google introduced new tools for building agents as it tries to compete more directly with OpenAI and Anthropic in business software, while Reuters described the conference as part of a broader effort to turn artificial intelligence into enterprise revenue. (bloomberg.com, reuters.com) Google’s message at Cloud Next was that the browser, the cloud platform, and the consulting ecosystem now fit together around the same product idea: software agents that companies can buy, customize, and put to work. (techcrunch.com, cloud.google.com, reuters.com)