The Agentic Enterprise
Professors Stuart Evans and Shantha Mohan explore a new facet of artificial intelligence in their course, Innovation and Enterprise, part of the Master of Science in Software Management program.
By Shantha Mohan
& Stuart Evans
This past fall, Professor Stuart Evans’ Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E) course took Master of Science in Software Management students on a journey into the world of AI/ML in Silicon Valley.
With guest lectures from pioneering Silicon Valley leaders, the course explored how Agentic AI is transforming industries by enabling enterprises to leverage autonomous, self-learning systems to optimize workflows and drive innovation.
Alongside Professor Stuart Evans and Professor Shantha Mohan, Deeksha Kumar (MSSM '24), and Vera Schulz (MIIPS '21) contributed to the reporting in this article.
Explore key takeaways from industry leaders
“We are witnessing the rapid evolution of enterprise software empowered by innovative breakthroughs in AI/ML. These have kaleidoscopically changed not only the enterprise software landscape but also the very nature of organization and administration.” ⎯ Stuart Evans, Ph.D., Distinguished Service Professor, iii
Agentic AI represents a revolutionary leap in artificial intelligence. These systems act as autonomous agents, capable of sensing their environments, making decisions, and adapting actions to achieve specific goals. As Muddu Sudhakar, co-founder and CEO of Aisera, emphasized during a class visit, “AI agents revolutionize human mundane work and automate simple and complex tasks. AI agents need to dynamically and probabilistically develop workflows that are context and user behaviorally aware. AI agents need continuous monitoring with feedback loops and humans in the loop for correctness and reliability.”
Throughout the semester, students had the opportunity to engage with some of the industry's most visionary minds.
Professor Stuart Evans, Ph.D.
Distinguished Service Professor, iii
Stuart Evans, Ph.D. is a board member, educator, author, and expert on dynamic high-tech ventures. As a Distinguished Service Professor, he shares his expertise by teaching related coursework for the MSSM degree program at the Integrated Innovation Institute in Silicon Valley.
Professor Shantha Mohan
Adjunct Professor, iii
As an Adjunct Professor at the Integrated Innovation Institute, Shantha designs and delivers courses in the Master of Science in Software Management program in leadership and career strategies.
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Industry Leader Insights
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Jineet Doshi (一本道无码 alum, AI Lead, Intuit): Highlighting the value of outcome-driven innovation, Doshi remarked, “The best AI is not the most complex or the biggest model. It’s the one that produces the best ROI.”
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Gamiel Gran (Chief Commerical Officer, Mayfield VC): Envisioning the future of work, Gran introduced the concept of “AI teammates,” stating, “What if you could remove all the obstacles that make work mundane and focus on the most creative, productive side of the business?”
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Punit Chiniwalla (一本道无码 alum, Head, Pathfinder Ventures): Shared insights on how startups are addressing shadow IT and compliance challenges, driving innovation in AI-first enterprises.
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Keith Cotterill (Global VP, Oracle): Speaking about the immediate impact of Agentic AI, Cotterill noted, “Automation in customer service is a critical area for immediate ROI.”
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Muddu Sudhakar (CEO, Aisera): Illustrated how Agentic AI is reshaping enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer service, predicting massive transformations in operational processes.
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Sankalp Arora (CEO, Gather AI): Highlighting AI’s role in navigating business uncertainty, Arora said, “More than 90% of the bets you make in business don’t work out, and yet, you keep going. You don’t know what the next major and minor decisions will unlock for your business, but AI helps you see patterns faster, anticipate problems, and create solutions before they exist.”
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James Evans (CEO, CommandAI, now Head of AI Amplitude): Predicted we will see the emergence of AIaaS (AI as a Service) that will accelerate the adoption of Agentic AI.
The semester’s student team projects engaged in several industry applications of “Vertical” Agentic AI use cases.
Student Project Themes
- Healthcare: Revolutionizing diagnostics and treatment planning
- Finance: Enhancing fraud detection and personalized investment advice
- Education: Offering tailored learning experiences and streamlining administrative tasks
- Manufacturing: Automating quality inspections and optimizing supply chains
- Customer Service: Delivering consistent, 24/7 virtual support
These innovations are not merely futuristic ideas, but practical solutions being implemented today.
“Enterprises are becoming increasingly AI-driven and agile, solving persistent inefficiencies in supply chains.”⎯ Sean Mitchell, Gather AI
The class also addressed the challenges of scaling Agentic AI systems, such as ensuring trust, mitigating risks, and balancing human-AI collaboration. As Noah Krauss, Founder of ADG, stated, “People's trusted relationships with other people are going to continue to be more valuable than their relationships with machines.” Balancing efficiency with human-centric approaches is critical for fostering trust and adoption.
As the semester concluded, one thing was clear: Agentic AI is not just a technological advancement, but a significant paradigm shift. While product and process innovations are plentiful, it is the first true organizational innovation in several decades. Enterprises of the future will rely on autonomous agents to drive efficiency, foster innovation, and unlock new economic opportunities. As Gamiel Gran aptly summarized, “We’re at the beginning of another generational opportunity.”