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Before the Agents Arrive: How to Make Legacy Enterprises Ready for AI, Automation, and Autonomous Work
Paperback
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Aug 9 2026
Pages: 118
Weight: 0.37
Height: 0.25 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Most AI initiatives don't stall because the model isn't smart enough. They stall because the organization underneath it, the data, the systems, the access controls, the accountability, was never built for a digital worker that acts without waiting for permission.
Before the Agents Arrive is a practical, research-grounded guide for the leaders and architects standing between an impressive demo and a system the business can actually trust. Drawing on peer-reviewed research and composite cases from manufacturing, banking, retail, and logistics, it walks through exactly what has to be true before an agent should touch a live customer record, a real payment, or a production process.
Inside, you'll find:
- A seven-level autonomy ladder for deciding how much independence to give an agent, and when
- A four-dimension risk model for governing AI by actual exposure, not fear
- A twelve-month roadmap for taking one process from stalled pilot to production
- The ENTERPRISE-AI Readiness Model, a ten-point self-assessment for your own team
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