Top 7 CEOs on Agentic AI: Insights from the Frontlines of Innovation

Agentic AI is no longer an abstract concept being kicked around in think tanks. It’s actively reshaping how work gets done inside the world’s most influential companies. As AI agents begin taking on tasks once handled solely by people, CEOs are responding with both urgency and vision.

One quote, in particular, stands out for anyone in IT and service management:

“The IT department of every company is going to be the HR department of AI agents in the future.”
– Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA

For SysAid and its community, this isn’t just a powerful metaphor – it’s a roadmap. The role of IT is evolving rapidly, and those on the front lines are becoming the architects, trainers, and managers of digital workforces.

This shift isn’t just about automation. It’s about redefining productivity, rethinking how teams are structured, and creating entirely new operating models. From Salesforce to Shopify, from Amazon to Fiverr, the message is clear: agentic AI is becoming a foundational part of modern business. Here’s how seven top CEOs are framing the opportunity, and what their perspectives can teach IT and service management leaders navigating this shift.

Marc Benioff: CEO, Salesforce

At Dreamforce and in a recent Salesforce article, Marc Benioff laid out his vision for the fourth industrial revolution, one where digital labor complements human effort in ways we’ve never seen before. His remarks capture both the scale of what’s coming and the urgency to embrace it.

“Agentic AI is a new labor model, new productivity model, and a new economic model.”

Just as steam power and electricity restructured industries in the past, agentic AI is poised to unlock a new economic architecture that’s powered by autonomous AI agents working 24/7. 

Benioff makes it clear that businesses can now “add digital workers that require little to no supervision,” helping them scale without the traditional burdens of headcount and overhead. Especially for IT Service Management (ITSM) teams, this opens a path to always-on support models, streamlined workflows, and AI-driven triage that boosts resolution speed and satisfaction.

In a powerful reframing of what the modern enterprise can look like, Benioff adds:

“Digital labor is a new horizon for business…How we architect our businesses and run our businesses and staff our businesses and think about our businesses will never be the same.”

Tobi Lütke: CEO, Shopify

In April 2025, Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke issued a company-wide memo emphasizing the critical role of AI in the company’s operations:

“Before asking for more headcount and resources, teams must demonstrate why they cannot get what they want done using AI.”

Lütke’s emphasis on AI reflects a broader trend in the industry, where AI integration is becoming a baseline expectation rather than a specialized skill. This shift underscores the importance for organizations to adapt and incorporate AI into their workflows to remain competitive and responsive in an ever-evolving market.

AI agents give ITSM teams the ability to deliver more responsive and efficient services, as routine inquiries and tasks are handled autonomously. This allows IT teams to allocate resources more effectively, addressing complex issues and driving innovation.

Micha Kaufman: CEO, Fiverr

In a candid internal memo shared in April 2025, Fiverr CEO Micha Kaufman addressed the rapidly evolving landscape of work in the age of AI:

“So here is the unpleasant truth: AI is coming for your jobs. Heck, it’s coming for my job, too. This is a wake-up call.”

This is a rallying cry for professionals to proactively adapt and upskill in response to technological advancements.

To support this transition, Fiverr introduced ‘Fiverr Go,’ an AI platform designed to empower freelancers by integrating AI into their workflows. This initiative allows creators to train AI models on their own work, enabling them to scale their services while maintaining creative control.

In the world of ITSM, Kaufman’s approach highlights the importance of embracing AI as a collaborative tool rather than viewing it as a replacement. By integrating AI thoughtfully, organizations can enhance efficiency and innovation while preserving the unique value of human expertise.

Satya Nadella: CEO, Microsoft

During a CEO Connect session in Bengaluru, India, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella outlined a vision for the future of work that revolves around humans and AI agents collaborating in increasingly sophisticated ways. His framing was simple but powerful:

“Humans and swarms of AI agents will be the next frontier.”

These agents are designed to operate across systems, anticipate needs, and take initiative based on context and data. Their role isn’t to replace people, but to extend what teams can accomplish when time and focus are no longer consumed by repetitive work.

In environments where speed and responsiveness are critical, like ITSM, this shift has very real implications. AI agents can take on high-volume, rule-based tasks such as ticket triage, incident routing, or proactive alerts. This gives human IT teams room to tackle higher-order challenges and innovate faster. Nadella’s insight is a reminder that the winners in this new era won’t be those who automate everything, but those who design systems where humans and agents amplify each other’s strengths.

Andy Jassy: CEO, Amazon

In his 2025 annual letter to shareholders, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy emphasized the transformative potential of generative AI on customer experiences:

“Generative AI is going to reinvent virtually every customer experience we know, and enable altogether new ones about which we’ve only fantasized.”

Jassy’s vision for the future is one where generative AI makes customer interactions easier and better, and also creates entirely new avenues for engagement. By leveraging AI to understand and anticipate customer needs, businesses can deliver more personalized and efficient services. For anyone in an ITSM role, this underscores the importance of integrating AI into service delivery models to meet evolving customer expectations and drive innovation.

Jensen Huang: CEO, NVIDIA

At CES 2025, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang highlighted the evolving role of IT departments in managing AI agents:

“The IT department of every company is going to be the HR department of AI agents in the future.”

Huang suggests that as AI agents become integral to business operations, IT teams will take on responsibilities akin to human resources: onboarding, training, and managing AI entities. This shift implies that ITSM will need to develop new competencies in overseeing AI systems, ensuring they align with organizational goals and operate effectively within established frameworks.

Elon Musk – CEO, Tesla and SpaceX

Elon Musk has consistently voiced both enthusiasm and caution regarding AI’s trajectory. In a tweet from 2017, he put it quite bluntly:

“AI will be the best or worst thing ever for humanity.”

It’s worth remembering this one, because it’s a reminder that advances in AI can be a double-edged sword. Along with unprecedented benefits, AI poses significant risks if it’s not developed and managed responsibly. For ITSM leaders, the rise of agentic AI should push security to the top of their agenda. It’s more important than ever to implement ethical guidelines and robust governance structures when integrating AI into service management processes.

From Ideas to Action: What Will You Build With Agentic AI?

Agentic AI isn’t an edge case or a distant possibility anymore. It’s the engine behind how modern businesses are scaling, adapting, and outperforming. Whether it’s reducing response times, rethinking staffing models, or transforming how teams collaborate, AI agents are becoming central to the way work gets done.

The question is no longer if your organization should embrace AI agents. It’s how soon can you start?

At SysAid, we’ve made that starting point radically simple. Our AI Agent Builder empowers IT teams to launch their own AI agents in just a few clicks, without any advanced technical background. Automate ticket triage, boost resolution speed, and free your team to focus on what matters most.

Your digital workforce is waiting. Ready to put it to work?