Google Launches Agentic AI for Gemini, Starting with Business Customers

Agents That Get Things Done

Google is stepping into the agentic AI race with a new Gemini agent that doesn't just answer questions — it plans work, connects to business systems, and completes tasks on behalf of users. The announcement came at a Google Cloud event on October 8, 2026.

CEO Sundar Pichai said the company will start by offering the agent to businesses first, before rolling it out to consumers later. "This allows us to solve the harder problems around security, scale, and performance," Pichai noted, pointing to Gemini's 1 billion monthly active users and its adoption by nearly 90% of Fortune 100 companies ¹.

What the Agent Can Do

The new Gemini agent accepts objectives rather than simple instructions. It can plan work, use custom skills and tools, and connect to internal business systems to reach its goals ³. By default, it picks the best AI model for each task, but users can override that choice — including selecting third-party models like Anthropic's Claude, starting with Claude models.

The agent integrates with major platforms including Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, Jira, Confluence, Git, BigQuery, Databricks, Postgres, and Snowflake ¹. It also works with any Model Context Protocol (MCP) server inside or outside a company network. Users can track progress through a "tasks inbox" interface that shows the agent's thinking, delegation to subagents, code generation, and step-by-step progress.

Notably, the agent gets its own Workspace account with its own email address and context. It knows company hierarchies, time zones, team assignments, and who needs to approve what. People can interact with it by tagging, emailing, sharing files, or adding it to group chats. Its actions create an audit trail attributed to the agent itself, not a human user ¹.

Built for Enterprise Security and Cost Control

Google is positioning the agent with enterprise governance in mind. The company unveiled a Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform designed for building, scaling, governing, and optimizing agents with integrated model selection, DevOps, orchestration, and security features ⁴. This includes identity and policy management, authorization controls, secure sandboxing, and network gateways.

Cost management is another key focus. Google introduced flexible spending options including multi-model orchestration, Smart Routing, and real-time spend caps to help businesses control their AI expenses ³. Early testers of the agent include sportswear brand On, Shopify, and PayPal, while Gemini Enterprise already serves customers like BNP Paribas, Merck, and Ulta Beauty ¹.

The agent will be available on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, via command line, and through Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, ServiceNow, and Slack.

The Race for Agentic AI Heats Up

Google's move comes as competitors already face off in the agentic space. Meta has launched Muse for consumers, messaging-based agents like Instinct are gaining traction, and ChatGPT recently debuted its Dots product ¹. The shift from conversational AI to action-oriented agents marks a significant evolution in how companies expect these tools to function in the workplace.

With Gemini's deep integration across Google's enterprise ecosystem and a business-first rollout strategy, Google is betting that corporate adoption will pave the way for eventual consumer access.

The agent is currently in early testing with select enterprise customers, and Google has indicated broader availability is coming as it refines security and performance capabilities.

Key facts

• Google's Gemini agent accepts objectives, not just instructions, and can plan and execute work across business systems
• Nearly 90% of Fortune 100 companies already use Gemini Enterprise
• The agent gets its own Workspace account with email, context, and an audit trail
• Third-party models like Anthropic's Claude are already selectable alongside Google's own models
• Google starts with business customers to tackle security and scale challenges before consumer rollout

Sources

1. Google brings agentic AI to Gemini, starting with businesses | TechCrunch — techcrunch.com
2. Google showcases AI coding agent at I/O, plans Gemini chat on XR headsets — reuters.com
3. Gemini at Work 2026: Introducing Gemini agent | Google Cloud Blog
4. Introducing Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform - Google Cloud
5. Google Agentic AI Program: The Best Gemini for Business — vidau.ai

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