Autonomous AI’s are inevitable

First off, that claim is just clickbait—autonomous AIs are already here.

Autonomous, or agentic, AI refers to artificial intelligence that can make its own decisions and take action toward a goal without needing constant instructions from a human. It’s designed to be more independent—like a digital assistant that doesn’t just follow orders but figures out what needs to be done and how to do it.

To better understand this, the real question is: how did this happen?

How AI became autonomous

We’ve realized that AI can produce better results, in a fraction of the time, and at a lower cost than the average human. It only takes one business to recognize this and decide to leverage AI technology to gain market share—often at the expense of more traditional competitors. To stay relevant, those competitors must pivot and find new ways to compete. Some may stick to familiar strategies—streamlining processes, reassigning staff, launching new products or services—but most will likely invest in AI as well.

And this is only the beginning.

Now, multiple firms within the same industry are using AI, with staff effectively treating it as an IT assistant. Then someone creates the first AI bot. This bot responds to external stimuli and generates appropriate responses. For example, an email requesting information is read by the AI, which consults its large language model (LLM) and replies with a relevant response. Soon, more bots are developed with greater autonomy. One might be tasked with dynamically adjusting messaging in a live marketing campaign based on real-time feedback and competitor actions.

But we have gone even further.

Businesses now have multiple siloed agentic AI systems interacting directly with the real world, each managed by different departments or individuals. Eventually, someone asks, “Wouldn’t it be great if all these siloed AI systems could be managed by an overseer AI?” Now, these systems begin to collaborate and learn from each other. For instance, if the marketing AI updates campaign messaging, the email bot will automatically adjust its responses to match.

The businesses (of any size) who are innovators are now doing this.

At this point, we have an AI managing several independent AIs. This entire ecosystem is now overseen by what the industry calls a Managed Information Provider (MIP). The MIP governs how data is accessed, stored, and used. It handles tasks like data integration, compliance, security, accuracy, and delivery—ensuring the right people get the right information at the right time.

Autonomous AI isn’t a future concept—it’s already reshaping how businesses operate today. What started as simple task automation has evolved into complex, agentic systems capable of making decisions, adapting strategies, and collaborating across departments. As companies continue to integrate these technologies, the rise of Managed Information Providers (MIPs) marks a new phase—where AI not only acts but also governs the flow of information itself. The shift is no longer about if AI will lead, but how we choose to work alongside it.