10 Takeaways for CEOs and Leaders on The Topic of AI Agents

It’s Good to Be Back

The past couple of weeks have been filled with reflection and celebration—I took time to honor Memorial Day and marked the joy of a graduation.

I recently spoke with my son’s lifelong friend Gabe, who started a side hustle helping small businesses automate routine tasks using no-code AI tools like n8n. Gabe, who I’ve known since he was 4, isn’t a tech person—he’s a talented musician who was never into coding or IT. Yet here he is, building automations, solving problems, and getting paid for it. It’s a great reminder that we’re in a new era where you don’t need to be an engineer to leverage powerful technology. I’m so proud of him.

That got me thinking about the bigger picture. I dove into a powerful panel discussion featured on The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett:

🎧 Episode Title: “AI AGENTS EMERGENCY DEBATE: These Jobs Won’t Exist In 24 Months! Containment Has Failed, We Must Prepare For What’s Coming!” 📅 Aired: May 12, 2025 ▶️ Watch the full episode – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMYQmGfTltY&t=608s

Featured Guests:

Amjad Masad – Founder & CEO of Replit
Bret Weinstein – Evolutionary Biologist & Complex Systems Theorist (DarkHorse Podcast)
Daniel Priestley – Serial Entrepreneur & Author
Hosted by Steven Bartlett

This wasn’t your typical AI hype session. It was raw, thought-provoking, and grounded in both possibility and risk. These are the 10 takeaways that every business leader should consider right now:

10 Takeaways That Will Reshape Business and Society

1. AI Agents Defined: These are autonomous programs that, once given a goal, can invoke tools like web browsers, payment APIs, and code editors, and iterate until the task is complete. They’re not just answering prompts anymore. Their runtime capability is doubling roughly every seven months.
2. Massive Job Displacement: Routine roles like data entry, QA, and basic accounting are heading toward near-total automation within two years. Even high-skill areas like healthcare diagnostics will face disruption.
3. Promise vs. Peril: AI could revolutionize healthcare, education, and wealth creation—but also brings 10 times the risk: scams, deepfakes, autonomous weapons, and unemployment on a mass scale.
4. Widening Inequality: Those who master AI tools will gain 10x–1,000x productivity and surge ahead. Everyone else risks falling behind—especially if distracted by entertainment algorithms or denied access.
5. Erosion of Truth: Undetectable deepfakes and AI-generated fraud are already widespread. Malicious actors are taking advantage, while platforms and individuals struggle to distinguish real from fake.
6. Autonomous Weapons & Surveillance: AI drones with facial recognition and state-sponsored citizen-reporting apps (like Iran’s hijab enforcement system) show how fast unregulated AI is being weaponized.
7. High-Agency Generalists Win: In this hyper-novel environment, narrow specialists are vulnerable. Success now belongs to those who can rapidly learn, prototype, and manage complexity across systems.
8. Reinventing Education: Traditional school-to-career models are outdated. AI tutoring, self-directed learning, and resilience in uncertain environments are the future of human development.
9. Human Phase Transition: We’ve crossed a threshold—like the invention of electricity or writing. Without proactive societal planning, this acceleration risks deep social, political, and economic instability.
10. A Dual Call to Action: First, embrace the opportunity: teams of five to ten can now launch game-changing companies overnight. Second, prepare society: we need regulation, upskilling, and guardrails—before the fallout hits.

What This Means for Business and Cyber Risk

This isn’t speculation. It’s already happening. AI Agents are going to live inside your business:

• Automating tasks in finance, HR, compliance, and customer service
• Generating insights, routing decisions, and managing software workflows
• Interacting with highly sensitive systems and business processes

But every productivity gain introduces a new security gap.

In a recent follow-up episode, Steven Bartlett revealed that multiple CEOs have leaked internal memos announcing hiring freezes—not to save money, but because they want current teams to prove that AI agents can’t already do those jobs. That’s a boardroom shift no one can ignore.

This is where cyber risk becomes a CEO-level conversation.

To lead through this disruption, businesses must:

• Conduct comprehensive cybersecurity risk assessments
• Implement GRC policies that account for autonomous digital workflows
• Engage Managed Security Services (MSS) to monitor for real-time threats
• Treat third-party AI tools like employees—vet them thoroughly

Cybersecurity isn’t a department. It’s a leadership function. And it’s now a strategic priority for every growth-focused company.

Closing Thoughts: Start the Conversation

AI Agents are going to redefine how we work, compete, and lead. The question isn’t whether your business will use them—it’s whether you’ll be ready for the risks that come with them.

Start with a conversation. Start with visibility.

👉 Take the Free Cyber Risk Assessment It’s built for CEOs and business owners who want clarity and control. You can complete it in minutes—and it opens the door to meaningful discussions with your leadership team.

—Mike Fitzpatrick Founder & CEO, NCX Group 🌐 www.ncxgroup.com

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Let’s Talk

If it’s been more than a year since your last cybersecurity assessment—or if you’ve never done one—now is the time.

👉 Schedule a Strategy Call with NCX Group

Repost from LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-ai-agents-disrupt-business-10-takeaways-ceos-mike-fitzpatrick-tadsf/