Inside Google, something interesting is happening. For some employees, work is no longer tied to sitting in front of a laptop all day. Tasks are being handled quietly in the background by an AI agent and people can keep track of them using just their phones. The tool is called “Agent Smith,” and it is quickly becoming popular inside the company, according to details revealed by Business Insider.
While Google has already been using AI for coding and other tasks, this one goes a step ahead. Instead of waiting for instructions at every step, the AI agent can take a task, work on it on its own, and update the user later.
Google employees now using AI agent to automate tasks, working using phone
Agent Smith is designed to handle tasks like coding, but its biggest strength is how independently it can operate. Employees can assign work to it and let it run in the background. There is no need to keep a laptop open. They can simply check progress or give new instructions from their phones whenever needed.
The system builds on Google’s earlier platform called Antigravity. But unlike older tools, this one can handle more of the process on its own. It can also connect with different internal systems and pull up documents or data that employees would usually have to search for manually. This basically suggests that employees at Google are spending less time jumping between tools and more time focusing on what actually needs their attention.
But the tool has caught on quickly. According to people familiar with it, a large number of employees started using Agent Smith soon after it became available. The demand grew so fast that Google had to restrict access for a while to manage the load.
For engineers, it is reportedly making daily work easier. Tasks that used to take longer can now be handled faster with the help of the agent. And since it works quietly in the background, it doesn’t interrupt the flow of work.
The name itself is a clear reference to the villain from The Matrix, which feels fitting for a system that operates almost invisibly across workflows.
Google openly asking employees to use AI, links it to appraisals
The growing use of such tools is not random. Leaders at Google have been pushing teams to use AI more actively.
Co-founder Sergey Brin recently told employees in a town hall that AI agents will be an important part of the company’s plans this year. He also hinted that more such tools are being worked on.
CEO Sundar Pichai has also firmly asserted that using AI is no longer optional. Employees across teams have been asked to bring AI into their daily work. In some cases, how much they use these AI tools will even be considered during performance reviews. This is reportedly applicable to the non-technical staff too. In fact, the company even reminded employees about the voluntary exit plan that Google has for people who are not ready to follow its plan to embrace AI.
When asked about Agent Smith, a Google spokesperson told Business Insider, “We are always experimenting with new ways to build agents that solve real-world problems for people and businesses, but we don’t have anything to share right now.”
