Talks #3: What does the rise of AI agents mean?

What does the rise of AI agents mean for Business Central, and what opportunities does it create for Agriware?

In our latest podcast, Arno Hogervorst, AI & Innovation Director, and Michael Hayes, Senior Finance Consultant, discuss how AI is changing the way we work with ERP systems. From Copilot and AI agents to Business Skills and automation, they explore what's already possible and what it could mean for the future of Agriware.

Here are 9 key takeaways from their conversation:

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1. AI is moving from answering questions to getting work done
Copilot is no longer just about helping people find information or write text. AI agents can increasingly understand a situation, decide what needs to happen and carry out tasks.

2. AI can work directly with Business Central
Through APIs, MCP and Business Skills, AI agents can access information and perform actions in Business Central. This means AI can do more than explain what's happening in the ERP system. It can help get work done.

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3. We may not need to customize everything anymore
When a customer needs new functionality, building a customization is no longer the only option. Sometimes an AI agent or a simple automation may be a better, faster and more flexible solution.

AI can continuously check financial data, identify exceptions and flag issues before they become problems, rather than finance teams finding them afterwards.

4. Business Skills could be valuable for Agriware
Business Skills allow us to give AI agents specific knowledge and instructions. For Agriware, this could mean teaching agents how horticultural processes work, from production planning and inventory management to order handling. These skills can then be reused across different agents.

5. Not every process needs AI
Simple, predictable tasks are still best handled by traditional workflows and automation. AI agents become useful when a task requires understanding the situation, interpreting information or making decisions. Both approaches can work together.

6. AI agents need clear boundaries
When AI starts taking actions in Business Central, we need to control what it can and cannot do. User permissions, data security, approval steps and monitoring become even more important, especially for actions that affect business operations.

7. The real opportunity for Agriware is AI that understands horticulture
Our opportunity isn't to build another chatbot. It's to develop AI that understands how growers work and can help with real tasks in production, planning, inventory, sales and finance. AI that doesn't just give advice, but can actually take action in Agriware.

And about finance...

8. Finance becomes more proactive

AI can continuously check financial data, identify exceptions and flag issues before they become problems, rather than finance teams finding them afterwards.

9. Finance work can move from checking to execution

Agents can take over repetitive processes such as invoice checks, reconciliations, margin analysis and follow-ups, while keeping approvals with finance where needed.

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Main takeaway:
Business Central is evolving from a system where people do all the work themselves into a platform where people, automation and AI agents work together to run business processes.

Full Podcast: