How autonomous businesses will shape the future of competition

I was recently asked to write a blog post in conjunction with the publication of a new Atos Research Community paper on autonomous business. Because the paper delves into the requirements to establish a self-operating business — and the role that artificial intelligence (AI) will inevitably play — I had to confront the question of whether I should pen the article myself or let GenAI take the reins.

When my co-authors and I began writing this paper two years ago, AI primarily centered on pattern recognition and process automation. While ERP systems could automate areas like production and finance, creativity and art remained the exclusive domain of humans.

Our belief was that uniting creativity with enterprise automation could yield a fully automated end-to-end process, enabling entire enterprises to operate autonomously, engaging in cutthroat competition. Although it may have seemed like “bad science fiction” to some, perceptions shifted with the launch of ChatGPT. Now, even the realms of creativity have succumbed to algorithms. 

So, returning to my initial question, I realized that I should use GenAI as a companion, offering support and helping distill the paper's key messages. Here it goes:

Imagine a business that can design, produce, market and sell its products or services without any human intervention. A business that can make complex decisions based on data, creativity and ingenuity. A business that can compete or collaborate with other businesses in a dynamic and unpredictable environment. This is not science fiction, but a logical extension of the drive towards the automated enterprise.

This decentralized business model is made possible by a combination of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, cloud, edge, swarm, blockchain and cybersecurity. It is also a result of how we think and behave as humans in a globalized and digitalized world. Autonomous business is not just about automating tasks or processes, but about creating self-reliant and self-adapting systems that can operate and evolve independently.