Boomi CEO Steve Lucas says artificial intelligence agents will fundamentally transform how employees interact with workplace technology, predicting that traditional software applications will fade as AI becomes the new interface layer for business operations. Speaking at the Boomi World Tour event in London, Lucas outlined a rapid shift toward “experience-centered computing,” where workers prompt AI agents to execute tasks, navigate systems, and automate workflows.
Lucas expects billions — and eventually trillions — of AI agents to power enterprise environments, a progression he compares to the evolution of self-driving cars. Early automation may feel incremental, but capabilities will scale rapidly as agents begin to interpret context, manage processes, and trigger actions independently. He demonstrated how an agent can be created in seconds to perform data-quality checks that traditionally required dedicated tools — an example meant to illustrate the coming collapse of today’s software categories.
These predictions align with a broader industry shift: AI will increasingly consume software, turning CRM, HR, analytics, and productivity platforms into background “systems of record,” while AI-driven experience layers manage all interaction. Lucas argues that within a few years, employees will no longer log in to individual applications; instead, conversational agents will proactively complete tasks such as approving expenses, updating calendars, or reconciling data.
However, this transformation raises significant challenges. Enterprises must solve persistent integration, governance, and workflow orchestration problems to unlock value from generative AI. Recent MIT research shows that 95% of companies using AI still struggle to see measurable impact, largely due to disconnected data and systems.
Lucas believes the answer lies in an emerging “AI activation layer” — infrastructure that connects models, agents, data, and enterprise applications into a cohesive ecosystem. Companies that master this layer, he says, will lead the next wave of AI-driven productivity.
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