"We saved $350 million last year using AI agents"
Dorit Zilbershot, vice president of AI experiences and innovation at ServiceNow, added that "We use AI in customer service, IT support, HR processes, developer assistance, and marketing, and we are expanding its use to other areas of the company."
The generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) revolution has been accompanied almost from its inception by claims from "experts" that it is a bubble about to burst—that the technology is not yet mature, too expensive to use, or that companies either don’t know how to implement it or are afraid to do so. "At any moment," these experts warn, "the whole thing will go up in flames."
But those working in the field, whether in organizations or companies already integrating this technology, often respond to such claims with a sneer or an eye roll. They are certain that there is no bubble, that the future is already here, and that the technology is being deeply and effectively integrated into various organizations. And they have the numbers to back it up.
"In the past year, we have saved more than $350 million using GenAI and AI agents (artificial intelligence models that can perform autonomous actions)," Dorit Zilbershot, vice president of AI experiences and innovation at cloud computing company ServiceNow, told Calcalist during the Nvidia Developer Conference being held last week in San Jose, California.
"We use AI in customer service, IT support, HR processes, developer assistance, and marketing, and we are expanding its use to other areas of the company. Employees are now using AI agents to solve problems like computer malfunctions on their own, and developer productivity has increased by 20% thanks to these tools."
According to Zilbershot, this is just the beginning: "These are still the early days, and we are only beginning to understand the potential. In the not-too-distant future, AI agents will be able to perform tasks such as filling out forms, autonomously fixing computer problems—essentially anything that requires interaction with a user interface and could simplify my job. If we look ahead a year or two, computing in organizations will be agent-based. Today, companies invest a lot of time in planning processes, but soon, industrial IT infrastructure will be operated by AI agents, which will be managed just like human employees."
Zilbershot attributes the talk of a "bubble" to the fact that early doomsday predictions about GenAI have not materialized. "There was an expectation that AI would lead to massive layoffs," she said. "That didn't happen. Instead, work has changed. Employees are adopting these tools and performing more complex and creative tasks. The idea that this is a bubble stems from the gap between market expectations and reality. Every time a new technology emerges, there’s a fear that jobs will disappear. But in practice, what happens is that more jobs are created through changes in work processes."
Zilbershot spoke to Calcalist after participating in a panel discussion on the adoption of AI agents by organizations. Other panelists shared similar insights.
"An international airline we work with wanted to attract more tourists from abroad," said Lan Guan, VP of AI at business consulting firm Accenture. "We helped them implement an AI agent that serves as a travel companion for customers. It assists with preliminary research, selecting destinations, booking accommodations, and planning activities based on budget—and continues to support travelers during their trips. This agent now has 300,000 active users per month and handles 20 million queries."
Mike Holm, director of digital applications and innovation at Microsoft’s Azure platform, added: "Almost every developer today is using GenAI tools. Now, AI agents are entering the market, capable of working alongside developers, with teams, and even autonomously. This is the future of programming and development—moving from writing code to development through prompts. It will allow developers to focus on creativity and achieve a better fit between product and market. This shift will spark a wave of innovation, and I’m excited to see what happens in the development community."
