Beyond “agent washing”: how to build AI systems that actually deliver ROI
Beyond “agent washing”: how to build AI systems that actually deliver ROI
Publish Date: 2026-06-14 10:32:00
Source Domain: www.itpro.com
TL;DR
- AI agents are not the same as chatbots
- AI agents can act autonomously to achieve an objective without human intervention
- Automating meaningless work won’t lead to ROI
- Enterprise AI is moving beyond RAG to a “knowledge layer”
In the world of enterprise technology, buzzwords move fast. Right now, we are squarely in the era of “agent-washing,” where almost every basic chatbot is rebranded as an autonomous AI agent.
But what does it actually take to move beyond the hype and deploy AI that transforms business operations? In a recent episode of the SuperDataScience podcast, host Jon Krohn sat down with John Roese, Global CTO and Chief AI Officer at Dell Technologies, to discuss how Dell achieved massive ROI on its AI investments, the emerging architecture of “knowledge layers,” and where enterprise AI is heading.
Here are the seven key takeaways from their deep-dive conversation:
1. Defining “true” agentic AI vs. “agent washing”
The market is currently flooded with basic chatbots rebranded as “agents,” a phenomenon Roese terms “agent-washing.” True agentic AI represents a complete paradigm shift from basic text generation.
- Autonomous execution: true agentic AI is defined as a system that can take a high-level objective from a human, independently reason through the steps required, navigate digital ecosystems, and execute the work without a human in the loop.
- The digitization of skills: while the first wave of generative AI was about unlocking and talking to data, the agentic wave is about the “digitization of skills”—shifting AI from a passive assistant to an active digital worker.
- Objective-driven action: Instead of just responding to a linear prompt, a true agent continuously evaluates its progress toward a designated goal, adjusting its strategy as it encounters obstacles.
2. Why 95% of AI projects fail (and how Dell got a 30x ROI)
Many organizations struggle to see tangible financial returns from their AI implementations. Dell avoided this trap by being incredibly…
