Will Autonomy Disrupt AI Agents? Here’s What to Expect

The fall 2025 season of big tech events started with VMware Explore. Many conversations there, and in pre-briefings over the summer, focused on AI agents. The excitement is clear: new abilities, new use cases, and new opportunities. But one word keeps coming up that raises concern: autonomy.

Today, this word is used more as marketing than reality. True autonomy in AI is still far away. What most vendors really mean is “self-direction,” not full independence. And that difference matters.

Breaking Down Agentic Autonomy

AI headlines often clash. Nvidia is reporting record sales. At the same time, MIT published a study saying 95% of AI projects fail. OpenAI talks about artificial general intelligence (AGI), but its GPT-5 model was only a small step forward. These mixed signals show the AI market is growing fast, but hype still outweighs results.

Autonomy sounds exciting, but it suggests an agent that can act on its own, like human intuition. Today’s AI is not there yet. Instead, we have self-direction: a reasoning model can take action, but only with human context and oversight. That alone is progress. But reaching true autonomy may require advances close to AGI, something still out of reach.

So, for now, autonomy is marketing talk. Self-direction is reality. The real question is: what happens after we master self-direction? That is where the future gets interesting.

A Split in AI Agent Philosophy

As companies adopt AI agents, two schools of thought are forming.

Human as Manager—In this model, humans stay in the loop. They guide agents and use AI to achieve greater productivity. Humans provide direction; AI executes.
Human as Executive—Here, AI takes full control of some tasks. The agent becomes more independent, and humans step back. This could replace human work in certain roles.

There is no single right answer. Some companies may prefer human control, while others embrace more automation. In fact, both approaches may exist within one organization, depending on the use case.

Examples already exist. Amazon Web Services released Kiro, an agent-driven IDE. It leans on humans to guide the AI’s work, boosting personal productivity. In contrast, GitHub Copilot Agent Mode lets developers hand off entire tasks to AI, acting like a teammate. Neither is fully autonomous yet, but they show two clear directions.

How This Could Play Out

The choices companies make today will shape the next three years. As AI improves, agents may become more independent. But how they work with people will depend on the business strategy.

Instead of asking, “Will AI take jobs away?” Leaders should ask, How will jobs change as AI gets stronger? Workers may need new skills, new workflows, and even new kinds of benefits if AI becomes a peer in the workplace.

Questions business leaders should ask now include

What future skills will our workforce need?
How do we support employees working alongside agents?
Do agents require their own resources, like licenses or entitlements?
Should AI feedback loops look like employee reviews?
Should we build, buy, or rent AI agents from vendors?

These are not small questions. Many companies are not yet ready to answer them.

Aligning Strategy with AI Growth

For CIOs, CTOs, and COOs, the takeaway is clear: step back and match your AI approach to your business strategy. If your company wants to be a low-cost provider, more autonomous agents may help reduce costs. If your focus is customer experience or innovation, self-directed agents may be the smarter path.

Aligning strategy with AI capabilities will also make it easier to secure funding, gain adoption, and show measurable business value. The AI market is moving fast, but planning can help organizations ride the wave instead of getting swept away.

FAQs

1. What is the difference between AI autonomy and self-direction?

Autonomy means AI acts fully on its own, without humans. Self-direction means humans guide the AI, and the AI executes tasks with oversight.

2. Are today’s AI agents fully autonomous?

No. Current AI agents are self-directed, not autonomous. They still need human input for context and decision-making.

3. Why does this distinction matter for businesses?

The choice between self-directed and autonomous agents affects vendor selection, workforce planning, and overall strategy.

4. What industries are testing AI agents today?

Software development, customer service, finance, and healthcare are among the top industries exploring agent-driven workflows.

5. What should business leaders do now?

Leaders should connect AI strategies to business goals, decide how humans will work with AI, and prepare their workforce for change.