Fastcompany iconFastcompanyJul 13, 2026 ~1 min source read

Exclusive: 34 CEOs on what thrills and terrifies them about agentic AI

When businesses leaders think about AI right now, they're thinking about how agentic tools will change the very nature of their work. "We've crossed a line," says Varun Krishna, CEO of the fintech giant Rocket Companies.

Exclusive: 34 CEOs on what thrills and terrifies them about agentic AI

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When businesses leaders think about AI right now, they're thinking about how agentic tools will change the very nature of their work.

"We've crossed a line," says Varun Krishna, CEO of the fintech giant Rocket Companies.

"Companies that don't rewire how work gets done will slow themselves down at exactly the moment speed matters most." Even those skeptical of how real agentic tools are recognize that they can wholly...

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The useful part

When businesses leaders think about AI right now, they're thinking about how agentic tools will change the very nature of their work. "We've crossed a line," says Varun Krishna, CEO of the fintech giant Rocket Companies. "Companies that don't rewire how work gets done will slow themselves down at exactly the moment speed matters most." Even those skeptical of how real agentic tools are recognize that they can wholly transform business.

How it works

  • "Most of what people are calling agentic is just automation with better marketing," says Meng Ru Kuok, CEO of Caldecott Music Group, owner of the AI-powered music production tool BandLab.
  • "The genuinely autonomous systems—ones that negotiate, transact, and make judgment calls...

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