Atlassian, Intuit, AWS Prep for API-Driven Agent Future
▼ Summary
– VB Transform is a long-trusted event for enterprise leaders to discuss AI strategy, emphasizing the need to rethink software development for agentic AI.
– Future APIs must be multi-model and agent-native, as AI agents—not humans—will increasingly interact with them, according to Intuit’s Merrin Kurien.
– Intuit’s AI agents in QuickBooks have reduced invoice payment times by five days and increased full payment likelihood by 10%, showcasing real-world impact.
– AWS and Atlassian are leveraging AI to streamline migrations and internal workflows, with Atlassian’s onboarding agent handling 7,000 requests in its first month.
– Trust and transparency are critical for AI adoption, requiring robust review processes and strong data architecture to ensure agents make reliable decisions.
The future of enterprise software is being reshaped by AI agents, requiring a fundamental redesign of APIs to accommodate machine-to-machine interactions rather than human users. Leading tech companies like Atlassian, Intuit, and AWS are already pioneering this shift, demonstrating how AI-driven automation is transforming business operations today.
During a recent industry discussion, Merrin Kurien, principal engineer at Intuit, emphasized that tomorrow’s APIs must be built for agents first. “We’re entering an era where AI systems, not people, will be the primary API consumers,” she noted. Kurien predicts widespread agent adoption within five years, driven by better tooling and infrastructure investments made today.
Intuit’s QuickBooks platform offers a glimpse of this future. By integrating AI agents for automated invoicing and payment reminders, the company has helped small businesses get paid five days faster on average, with a 10% increase in full invoice payments. Meanwhile, AWS is revolutionizing cloud migrations through AI-assisted workload transitions. Mai-Lan Tomsen Bukovec, AWS engineering leader, explained how AI reduces reliance on specialists, allowing generalist teams to handle complex migrations independently. “This isn’t just about technology, it’s transforming how work gets done,” she said.
Atlassian takes an experimental approach, testing AI agents internally before rolling them out to customers. Tiffany To, SVP at Atlassian, shared how an internal onboarding agent handled 7,000 requests in its first month, becoming indispensable for new hires. Externally, the company’s Teamwork Collection, powered by “rovo agents”, saves employees four hours weekly by automating meeting prep with smart document synthesis from Confluence and Jira. HarperCollins and other clients have adopted these tools with significant productivity gains.
Customer customization is accelerating innovation, with 10,000 variations of Atlassian’s pre-built agents created in just three months. “This feedback loop helps us understand real-world workflows,” To explained. The company has also developed a graph data layer that enables agents to analyze strategic connections between goals, teams, and projects, far beyond basic organizational charts.
Trust remains paramount in AI adoption. Kurien stressed the need for transparent agent behavior and rigorous review processes, while To highlighted the importance of collaborative development. “AI isn’t just another tech wave, it’s a tidal shift reshaping how businesses operate,” she said. As these companies prove, the organizations investing now in agent-ready infrastructure will lead the next phase of enterprise innovation.
(Source: VentureBeat)
