Mr. Roboto: How to Navigate the Agentic AI Revolution in Procurement

What happens to your job when an AI agent can do 80% of your administrative work for you? In this mini jam session, hosts Conrad Smith and Zachary Bachir have a raw and forward-looking conversation sparked by the release of OpenAI's new agentic browser, Atlas. They explore how this technology will fundamentally change not just how procurement tasks are done, but what procurement professionals will focus on in the future.The hosts predict a massive shift in the skills required to succeed, moving away from operational expertise and toward strategic relationship management.You’ll hear candid views on:

• The Trust Problem: Why would you trust an AI agent to book a flight? The hosts discuss how user adoption will depend on the level of risk and the reversibility of the agent's actions, comparing it to the public's current anxiety about self-driving cars like Waymo.
• Building a "Safety Net" for AI: Conrad draws a parallel to the early days of e-commerce, when credit card companies offered fraud protection as a "safety net" to build consumer trust. He suggests a similar "insurance" model might be needed for AI agents.
• The End of Admin Work: The hosts agree that AI agents are perfect for automating the low-risk administrative tasks that currently consume "80, maybe even 90% of all procurement energy today".
• The "Admin Super User" is at Risk: Conrad makes a bold prediction: if you've built your career on being a "kick-ass administrative operations guy," you may be the most at risk as agents take over that work.
• The Future Role of Procurement: With administrative work gone, what do you do with the "three or four hours a day you get back?". The hosts argue the focus will shift entirely to strategic relationship management with stakeholders and suppliers.
• "Counterfeit" Empathy: A fascinating look at how AI developers are building a "counterfeit" empathy layer into their tools to improve the user experience, and why it works.

Learn more about Atlas at: chatgpt.com/atlas