Is your website obsolete with AI Agents? [Video]

Will your website become obsolete because of AI? Let’s find out.
Jeremiah Owyang recent article brings up a provocative question:
Do websites even matter in the age of AI?

With AI agents like those we’re developing today, businesses need to rethink everything about their online presence.

Web browsing the web is pretty inefficient:
Search engines, pogo through websites, scrolling past ads, navigating menus, submenus, all to find the right information.

AI agents are set to fix that.

First, let’s define an AI Agent. I like use Dharmesh Shah’s definition:

– They are Goal-oriented. Unlike traditional AI systems that respond to specific prompts, agents are given goals to pursue autonomously (from minutes to days and more).
– Agents break down complex goals into smaller, actionable tasks.
– They track their own progress towards achieving the specified goal.
– Agents can interact with digital resources and other AI agents to accomplish their objectives.
– While not strictly required, agents often operate with minimal human intervention.

Imagine an AI agent that knows your preferences, searches on your behalf, and brings you exactly what you need in the format you want.

It’s level three in Open AI’s levels of AI. Not to mention so many companies are working on them right now.

Let’s talk about the role of these AI Agents both from the perspective of a consumer and a business.

Consumer Perspective:
AI agents, can handle everything from booking flights to ordering groceries, without users needing to visit multiple websites.

That’s a significant change in digital interactions and a shift on how business is done Consumers won’t need to interact with your website at all—they’ll be interacting with AI.

Business Perspective:
For businesses, this means shifting focus from designing for human users to optimizing for AI agents.
Your website’s appearance may become secondary to its ability to integrate with AI systems.
So now your site will have to be set up for both human and agent visitors and
I suspect, more on the agent side as time passes.

As AI advances, businesses will need to adapt. This means creating content that AI can easily digest and use.

APIs will become the primary interface for interacting with consumers, not just visually appealing websites.

AI agents also impacts the Consumer-Business Dynamic:

On the consumer side, AI will handle the legwork, making decisions faster and more accurately than ever before.

On the business side, this shift demands a new approach to online strategy. Businesses will need to develop content that’s not just user-friendly, but AI-friendly—designed for consumption by intelligent agents that prioritize efficiency over aesthetics.

As AI agents become more advanced, they’ll redefine the way we interact with the internet and conduct business.

The question for businesses isn’t whether you should adapt—it’s how quickly you can.