Bret Taylor Discusses the Future of AI Agents at Mobile World Congress

Bret Taylor, OpenAI chairman and Sierra founder, shares his optimistic vision for AI agents’ role in transforming customer service and beyond at the Mobile World Congress.

At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Bret Taylor, OpenAI’s chairman and Sierra’s founder, didn’t just talk shop—he lit up the room with his vision for AI agents. Imagine customer service that doesn’t just understand you but gets you, in any language, instantly. That’s the leap generative AI is making, leaving old-school chatbots in the dust.

But here’s the kicker: Taylor isn’t about unleashing AI willy-nilly. He’s big on guardrails—smart, practical ones—to keep things safe and sound, especially when customers are in the mix. And hey, it’s working. Take Cursor, the AI code assistant, or Harvey in legal tech. These aren’t just cool tools; they’re game changers in their fields.

Fast forward a bit, and Taylor sees AI agents not just as tools but as the face of companies. Think less ‘visiting a website’ and more ‘talking to the brand itself.’ And those clunky interfaces? Gone. The future’s all about chatting with AI like it’s your buddy, no screen required.

Now, about the elephant in the room: jobs. Taylor gets it—AI’s shaking things up. But he’s betting on new roles popping up and the power of learning new tricks. It’s a team effort, with everyone from governments to tech giants needing to play nice to make the transition smooth.

And that whole nonprofit to for-profit switcheroo at OpenAI? Taylor’s message is clear: the mission’s rock solid. Building AI that benefits everyone isn’t cheap, but no matter the structure, that’s the North Star. Costs? Sure. Commitment? Unshakable.