The agentic internet is here. Are you ready?

The internet, as we know it, no longer works as it should. While the infrastructure still functions, the user experience has become fragmented and exhausting. Multiple apps, endless logins and repetitive tasks have turned digital convenience into digital fatigue. 

Enter the agentic internet, a completely new way of thinking about digital interactions. Rather than a human-focused experience, autonomous AI agents take center stage. From booking travel to managing subscriptions, agents will soon handle much of the digital heavy lifting. Humans will define their goals and preferences and let agents execute the tactical details autonomously.

From user experience to agent experience 

To engage in this new playing field, businesses will need to move beyond optimizing for user experience (UX) and begin thinking about what an AI agent needs. In the agentic era, a new discipline is emerging: agent experience (AX). 

AX is about making digital services legible, trustworthy and efficient for AI agents. Unlike humans, agents don’t browse or explore. They execute. They require structured data, stable APIs and clear protocols to function effectively. For example, while a human might enjoy browsing an e-commerce site, an agent needs precise product specifications, delivery timelines and return policies—all in machine-readable formats. 

Why AX matters now 

In a world where agents drive the majority of digital interactions, businesses that aren’t visible to agents will become economically irrelevant. That world is fast-approaching. Cognizant’s research shows that by 2030, AI-powered consumers could drive over $4 trillion in U.S. spending, accounting for 55% of all consumer purchases.  

And this isn’t just about retail. Every industry—healthcare, banking, telecom, manufacturing and more—will be reshaped by agent-driven interactions.  

Yet only 17% of business leaders believe their current infrastructure can support this shift. The rest are racing to modernize, recognizing that AX is essential to doing business going forward. 

Building for agents: A new playbook 

To thrive in the age of the agentic internet, businesses must rethink their digital foundations with considerations like the following: 

• Structured, unambiguous data: Agents can’t interpret visual cues or vague language. Data must be standardized, self-describing and schema-compliant. 
• Predictable APIs: For agents, the API is the product. APIs must be stable, well-documented, and capable of handling high-frequency, autonomous interactions. 
• Inter-agent protocols: Emerging standards like Google’s Agent2Agent and Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol will enable seamless agent collaboration across platforms. 
• Verifiability and reversibility: Agents don’t trust; they verify. Services must offer cryptographic proofs and clear rollback mechanisms to ensure trust and resilience. 

Organizational shifts required 

Bringing AX into the business means rethinking both your tech and your teams. Businesses must: 

• Recognize agents as primary users, not just humans. 
• Establish cross-functional AX teams, including roles like AX strategists, API product managers and agent trust leads. 
• Invest in agent sandboxes to simulate and test agent behavior before deployment. 
• Analyze agent logs with the same rigor applied to human UX data. 

The future is ambient 

The agentic internet won’t live in browsers or apps. It will be ambient, woven into our lives through voice, wearables and augmented reality. You’ll say, “I need to visit my mom next month,” and your agent will handle flights, hotels and transportation. You’ll set the goals; your agent will handle the execution. 

Offloading digital busy work to machines restores human agency, giving us back time, focus and freedom. 

Final thought 

The agentic internet is already being built. Businesses that invest in agent experience today will be the ones that remain relevant tomorrow.  

The question is no longer whether agents will transform digital interactions, but how ready your organization is to meet them. 

Curious about how AX will impact your industry? Discover more insights in the full research.