Trend Trend 2: core back-office workflows move from assisted work to autonomous execution

Summary

The second trend in CB Insights' outlook is that the back office starts running itself. Enterprises are moving core operational workflows from tool-assisted work to autonomous execution. The shift rests on agent platforms having crossed from pilots into production as agent vendors reach deployment maturity. Instead of experimenting with copilots that help staff, companies begin automating routine operational tasks outright. Financial services is presented as the early leader, with document-heavy and rules-based processes such as compliance and file review serving as the testing ground. CB Insights expects organisations that build AI-native operations to gain an advantage as this automation spreads to other sectors.