How “Agentic AI” Is Changing Intelligent Automation

The business world is accelerating, and technology is at the wheel, driving this transformation. Businesses are constantly looking for smarter, faster, and more precise ways to work, and two big trends are driving this shift: AI becoming a bigger part of everyday processes and the move from basic RPA to more advanced Intelligent Automation.

As these shifts reshape industries, Adlib stands out as a key enabler, helping organizations really tap into the power of their data.

AI Is a Business Necessity, Not Just a Buzzword

During OpenText World 2024, OpenText CEO Mark J. Barrenechea emphasized the key role of AI in modern businesses. According to Barrenechea, AI is no longer just an add-on or a feature - it’s a fundamental shift that affects how companies operate, innovate, and compete.

“We’re currently on the “third wave” of business AI, with predictive analytics and more intelligent search and generative AI already in the rear-view mirror,” said Mark Barrenechea, CEO, OpenText, describing the current focus as “agents to unlock human potential.”

Agents, in this case, are self-operating code designed to act and make choices for human users. Barrenechea predicts that this is just the beginning. He foresees a future with "agentic AI and autonomous agents," advanced systems capable of using their knowledge, experience, and insights to handle more complex and far-reaching decisions independently.

The message is clear: Businesses that fail to embrace AI risk being left behind. And it’s not just about efficiency; AI helps organizations make smarter decisions, deliver better customer experiences, and uncover opportunities that were previously hidden in mountains of unstructured data.

Adlib is one of these agents. Our AI-enabled Data Extraction Module is designed to help organizations tap into their unstructured data - the kind of data that makes up 80% of what businesses manage daily. Think invoices, contracts, emails, and reports. Adlib automates the extraction of critical information from these documents and feeds it into your line of business applications, transforming what was once unusable into actionable insights.

For example, imagine an insurance company that processes thousands of claims daily. With Adlib’s AI-driven solutions, the company can quickly extract key details like claim numbers, policyholder names, and incident dates, and leveraging complex workflow automation, validate and then transfer this information where it needs to go. This type of “agentic AI” is designed to enable faster resolutions and happier customers.

From RPA to True, AI-Enabled Intelligent Automation

“Agentic AI” marks a turning point in how organizations approach Intelligent Automation and process optimization. Traditional RPA, which relies on rule-based scripts to automate repetitive tasks, has been a valuable tool. But it has limitations. RPA struggles with tasks that involve unstructured data or require adaptability to changing conditions.

The shift to Intelligent Automation is about combining the power of AI with automation to handle more complex, dynamic tasks. This evolution allows businesses to move beyond basic process automation and tackle challenges like decision-making, data analysis, and exception handling - all with minimal human intervention.

Adlib’s solutions align perfectly with this trend. As per Andreessen Horowitz's table, Adlib is a horizontal AI enabler, offering solutions that parse unstructured data and output contextualized, structured data. With over 25 years of experience processing highly regulated documents, Adlib brings a quarter-century of expertise to tackling the complexities of unstructured data. This deep understanding makes AI-enabled data extraction a natural evolution for Adlib.

Adlib’s AiLink connects into existing LLMs and leveraging our user-friendly prompt engineering extracts critical information from otherwise inaccessible formats. We enable organizations to manage unstructured data in ways traditional RPA never could.

Take a pharmaceutical company managing clinical trial data, for example. With Adlib's robust workflow automation, they can automatically classify trial documents, extract and validate critical information like patient identifiers or dosage levels, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards. You can imagine how much time this can save and how much risk it can reduce for businesses - a win-win for both businesses and their stakeholders.

Why This Matters Now

The push for AI and Intelligent Automation is a response to the pressing, real-world challenges businesses face every day. At OpenText World’s Turbo Talk, Adlib’s Chief Product Officer Anthony Vigliotti captured this sentiment perfectly. During his session, “Fueling Your AI Like An F1 Champion by Priming Unstructured Data in Documents,” Vigliotti quipped, “It’s in the documents, stupid,” a clever twist on Bill Clinton’s famous campaign mantra.

While the phrasing may sound blunt, it captures an undeniable reality: documents hold the majority of an organization’s business-critical data, yet this data remains largely untapped. For years, the challenge of extracting and leveraging this information was constrained by limited technology. However, with advancements in AI - especially what’s being called “agentic AI” - businesses can now unlock this data with unprecedented efficiency, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness.

Organizations are increasingly turning to AI to solve these operational challenges, and the data shows just how quickly this adoption is accelerating:

According to McKinsey & Company, 65% of organizations are now regularly using generative AI, nearly double the figure from just ten months ago. This rapid adoption is a clear indication of growing reliance on AI to solve business problems and uncover new opportunities.

Gartner forecasts that by 2025, intelligent document processing (IDP) will be a standard capability in 50% of enterprise content management systems, up from just 10% in 2021. These numbers demonstrate how critical tools like Adlib’s AI-powered Data Extraction Module will become in the coming 12 months.

These trends aren’t happening in a vacuum. They’re driven by the growing volume and complexity of data businesses must manage, combined with rising customer expectations for speed and accuracy.

Adlib’s Role in “Agentic AI” and Intelligent Automation

Adlib is one of the key agents driving these changes. Our solutions help businesses unlock value in three key ways:

1. Making Unstructured Data Usable - With 80% of enterprise data being unstructured, businesses need tools to turn chaos into clarity. Adlib’s AI-driven platform extracts, validates, and enriches data, making it usable for analytics, decision-making, and compliance.‍
2. Boosting Efficiency and Accuracy - Manual data processing is time-consuming, error-prone, and costly, while RPA-based solutions are rigid and struggle with complex decision-trees. Adlib automates these critical processes, delivering faster results with greater accuracy.‍
3. Ensuring Compliance and Reducing Risk - Industries like finance, healthcare, and manufacturing face strict regulatory requirements. Adlib helps businesses stay compliant by ensuring pixel-perfect data integrity and providing a clear audit trail.

What’s Next for AI and Automation

We’re really excited about the AI-driven transformation. Specifically:

• Deeper Integration of AI Across Workflows: AI will become a seamless part of how businesses operate and how decisions are made, from customer interactions to backend processes.
• Greater Focus on Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) & AI-Enabled Data Extraction: As Gartner predicts, IDP will become a standard feature in enterprise systems, helping organizations make better use of their data.
• Continued Evolution of Intelligent Automation: The shift from RPA to Intelligent Automation will accelerate, with businesses seeking solutions that can adapt and learn over time.

Our conversations at OpenText World 2024 reinforced just how challenging data processing can be in document-heavy environments, while also sparking fresh ideas for innovative solutions we’re excited to explore in the future.

Closing Thoughts

At Adlib, we’re excited to play a key role in this ongoing journey of transformation. It’s inspiring to see how organizations are tackling challenges head-on, finding opportunities in their data, and reimagining what’s possible with emerging technologies.

Looking ahead, one thing feels certain: businesses that lean into AI and Intelligent Automation now are positioning themselves to lead in the years to come.