[AWS re:Invent] "AI Agents: Excellent Tools for Boosting Enterprise Productivity... Bubble? Too Early to Tell"

Interview with Elan Dekel, Director of Amazon AGI Research Lab
Development of Amazon's Web-Browsing AI Agent, "Nova Act"
"Applying AI Agents to Real-World Work... Boosting Productivity"
Dismissing the AI Bubble Theory... "AI Innovation Is Only Just Beginning"

"AI agents are still in their early stages. The real innovation and impact are only just beginning."

Elan Dekel, AI Agent Director at Amazon's Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) Research Lab, shared this assessment regarding the so-called AI bubble in an interview with The Asia Business Daily during Amazon Web Services (AWS)'s largest annual event, re:Invent. He explained that, from an investment perspective, the massive capital being poured into building AI data centers has led the financial sector to raise concerns about a potential bubble.

He stated, "From the perspective of products and technology, AI agents are still at an inflection point," and emphasized, "We have not yet fully implemented AI in industrial settings, and considering the impact AI will have, this is not a bubble but rather just the beginning."

Elan Dekel, AI Agent Director at Amazon's Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) Research Lab, is being interviewed at Amazon Web Services (AWS) annual event 're:Invent 2025' held in Las Vegas, USA. Provided by AWS

Dekel is an expert with a background in product strategy and AI autonomy. He previously led key data-related product initiatives at Google, served as Chief Product Officer (CPO) at the AI data company Nimble, and was Vice President of Product at Pinecone. In April, he joined Amazon's AGI Autonomy Team, under AWS's parent company Amazon.

Dekel is focused on applying AGI and other AI technologies to real-world work scenarios. He explained, "Amazon is focused on the practical application of AI and improving productivity," adding, "We are working to ensure that companies can immediately leverage AI to create tangible value." AGI refers to AI with intelligence on par with or surpassing that of humans, but rather than viewing it as a concept to be realized in the distant future, he sees it as a tool to solve today's problems.

He is currently responsible for developing Amazon's web browser-based AI agent model, Nova Act. Nova Act is an AI agent for browsers that can handle routine tasks such as document drafting, email replies, searches, and shopping on behalf of users. Initially released as a preview to select users in April, Nova Act was officially launched on December 4 during this year's re:Invent event.

AI web browsing, similar to Nova Act, has recently become a highly competitive field in the industry. Previously, Perplexity released its AI-based web browser "Comet" in July, and OpenAI followed with "ChatGPT Atlas" in October. These browsers are equipped with each company's AI model, allowing the browser to directly carry out user requests, from web searches to booking flights and shopping tasks.

Unlike Comet or ChatGPT Atlas, which are web browsers, Nova Act is offered as a foundation model. Its primary target is not general users but enterprise work environments. Dekel explained, "It is a waste for knowledge workers to spend time on repetitive tasks such as simple data entry," adding, "Our goal is to automate tasks like copying and pasting data between documents so that employees can focus on more valuable work."

Because Nova Act is targeted at enterprise clients, reliability has been a major focus. He emphasized, "Comet and ChatGPT Atlas mainly focus on information retrieval and personal interaction, so their reliability is around 50-60%. Nova Act, as an enterprise agent, requires over 90% reliability and is designed to perform critical business tasks stably."

Elan Dekel, Director of AI Agents at the Amazon Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) Research Institute, is being interviewed at Amazon Web Services (AWS)'s annual event "re:Invent 2025" held in Las Vegas, USA. Provided by AWS

They are also seeking solutions to the security authentication challenges faced by web browsing-based AI models. Some websites use security filters such as CAPTCHA to block access by computer programs. For example, users may be asked to check a box stating "I am not a robot" or select images matching certain criteria. He said, "Amazon and other companies are working together to create standards such as 'web bot authentication' to identify and allow certified AI bots," and added, "For now, if a CAPTCHA is encountered, the system calls on the user to resolve the issue."

The relatively slow browsing speed of AI agents compared to humans has been addressed by streamlining procedures. When a user makes a request, the web-browsing AI agent executes the task in several steps, and the number of these steps has been reduced. Dekel explained, "We optimized the processing speed at each step and reduced the total number of steps needed to achieve the goal, thereby improving efficiency," and added, "For enterprise automation, many tasks are performed in the background rather than being monitored in real time, so completeness of the task is often more important than speed."

The next challenges for the Nova Act model are localization and security authentication. Nova Act is currently optimized for English-language websites. Dekel said, "A top priority is ensuring that customers in Korea, Japan, and other non-English-speaking markets can effectively use Nova Act," adding, "We are also advancing technology so that AI agents can safely handle internal approval systems and login steps for corporate clients."