AI Agents Expected to 'Supercharge' SaaS by Leveraging Deep Workflow Context in Platforms, Says Box CEO

Aaron Levie, CEO of cloud content management company Box, recently articulated how Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents are poised to "supercharge" Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms. In a recent interview with Matthew Berman, Levie explained that domain-rich platforms are uniquely positioned to benefit from specialized AI agents, which are "steeped in deep workflow context." This discussion highlights a significant shift in enterprise software development and utilization.

Box, a prominent player in cloud content management, has strategically positioned itself as an "AI-first" company. Levie explained that this approach focuses on expanding capabilities and increasing output rather than solely on cost reduction. The company aims to embed AI throughout its operations, from internal processes to customer-facing solutions.

According to Levie, platforms like Box, ServiceNow, and Salesforce are "ideal terrain" for AI agents. These environments contain vast amounts of structured and unstructured data, such as financial documents, contracts, and research files, which AI can analyze to extract valuable insights that were previously inaccessible or too costly to obtain.

Box is developing specialized AI agents, including search agents to sift through extensive data, deep research agents for complex analysis, and data extraction agents to pull structured information from content. These agents are designed to automate time-consuming tasks, potentially transforming processes that once required hundreds of human hours into minutes. Levie noted that > "95% of enterprise data is underutilized" and AI agents can unlock this value.

Levie emphasized a counterintuitive impact on the future of work, suggesting that > "90% of the work that AI is doing in a couple years from now is work that humans never did before AI." He views 2025 as > "day one" for enterprise AI agent adoption, marking the beginning of a piloting phase where companies will explore practical applications. While acknowledging the need for human review and oversight, he believes AI will accelerate projects and expose new areas of work, leading to an overall increase in human productivity and new opportunities.

This vision suggests a future where AI agents become integral to enterprise operations, driving efficiency and enabling businesses to tackle problems previously deemed too complex or resource-intensive. The focus remains on augmenting human capabilities and expanding the scope of what businesses can achieve through intelligent automation.