Competition among enterprise technology companies is intensifying to secure the title of the AI agent that corporate users use first at work. Companies spanning data infrastructure software and business applications are entering a race to build AI agent platforms that can safely and effectively use data across internal systems, including third-party systems. As technologies such as the Model Context Protocol evolve, firms are repositioning strategies, partnering while also competing, and accelerating investment across data and application layers.

Use of artificial intelligence among UK office workers is rising quickly, but much of the time saved is being spent reviewing and correcting AI output, a survey found. Workers saved an average of 12 hours a week through automation, but used 6.3 hours on so-called agent management. While 78 percent said AI boosts their productivity, only 18 percent saw a meaningful impact on overall organisational performance.