Will AI Agents Create A New Internet Economy?

 Will AI Agents Create A New Internet Economy?

Technology is advancing more rapidly than human beings can keep up. Several years ago, artificial intelligence (AI) was something we only experienced in sci-fi films. Today, we can hardly imagine our lives without it, as voice assistants, such as Alexa and Siri, smart suggestions on YouTube, or chatbots supporting customer questions with immediate response appear in our lives every day. The next paradigm shift is already upon us, AI agents.

Some scholars consider that AI agents are more than a tool; they can establish a whole new economy on the internet. What then does this imply to you and me? So, how does one go about doing this in simple terms?

What Are AI Agents?

Consider the example of an AI agent, a digital assistant that does not act under any instructions but on your behalf. For example:

• You want to book a vacation. Rather than searching for airplane tickets, reviewing hotels, and comparing what others are saying, an AI agent could do this all on your behalf.
• A small business with an online store could automatically have an AI agent order and negotiate with vendors, suppliers, and even browse new deals.

Concisely, AI agents do not just respond to questions, but act, decide, and learn.

How Could They Change the Internet Economy?

The internet economy today runs on apps, websites, and platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Instagram, and Paytm. We log in, search, click, and buy. But with AI agents, this process might flip upside down.

Here are some possibilities:

1. From Searching to Delegating

Instead of opening ten tabs on your browser, you’ll just tell your AI agent: “Find me the cheapest phone under ₹20,000 with good reviews.” The agent will scan the internet and give you the best deal. Search engines may have to change their business model because we won’t be “searching” anymore—we’ll be “delegating”.

2. Personalised Shopping at Scale

AI agents will know your taste better than you. In short, your agent will take your browsing behavior (in this example, that you order vegetarian meals on Swiggy) as a cue not to even bother presenting non-veg options to you. This amount of personalisation has the potential to renovate e-commerce platforms.

3. Negotiation Between Agents

Here’s where it gets interesting: what if your AI agent could talk directly to another business’s AI agent? Imagine telling your agent to “buy me a car within this budget,” and it negotiates with car dealership agents to secure the best offer. This could completely transform online markets.

4. Rise of Agent-Only Platforms

Just like we have websites and apps today, there might be platforms designed only for AI agents. Businesses could upload data in a way that agents understand easily. This could give rise to new marketplaces we haven’t even imagined yet.

A Personal Thought

I recall that I tried a food delivery app years ago the first time. It was more than magic-a few buttons and food is available at my door. In modern times, it is the norm. I feel that AI agents will be such. They will initially feel futuristic and perhaps confusing. However, in a short time, they will become our routine to save our time and energy.

Opportunities for Businesses and Individuals

• For Businesses: Small shops and startups could benefit the most. They won’t need to hire big teams for marketing, customer care, or logistics—AI agents could handle much of it.
• For Individuals: Freelancers, students, and even homemakers could use agents to earn money in new ways. For example, you could “train” an AI agent to help people plan diet charts, and then rent it out as a service.
• For Developers: There will be demand for building, training, and maintaining these agents—similar to how app developers became essential in the smartphone era.

Challenges We Must Keep in Mind

Of course, it’s not all smooth sailing. Every new technology comes with its challenges:

1. Privacy Concerns – Since AI agents will know a lot about us, protecting personal data will be very important.

2. Job Shifts – Just like the internet created new jobs and made some old ones less relevant, AI agents will also change the job market.

3. Trust Issues – Can you fully trust your agent to make the right decision? That’s a big question.

4. Fair Competition – Big companies may dominate agent technology, making it harder for smaller players to compete.

Will This Be the “New Internet Economy”?

If we look at history, every big technology shift—printing press, electricity, the internet, smartphones—reshaped the economy. AI agents could be the next wave.

• Instead of us going to the internet, the internet (through AI agents) will come to us.
• Instead of us making every click and choice, agents will do it for us, often better and faster.
• Instead of huge firms having dominance over all platforms, new grounds could be left to small, specialised agents.

Yes. AI agents can be used to bring about the nature of the new internet economy (where a journey of a thousand miles is not started with a single click), but instead with a collaboration with the digital assistant.

Final Thoughts

We may not see all these changes overnight. Just like it took years for online shopping to become mainstream, AI agents will slowly become part of our lives. But once they do, the internet economy will never be the same.

The question is not “Will AI agents create a new internet economy?” but rather “How soon will we be ready for it?”.

What do you think—are you excited or worried about AI agents taking charge of your online life?

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