July 2026 · 7 min read
Artificial intelligence has been a major talking point in manufacturing over the past few years. Much of the conversation has focused on chatbots and tools that can answer questions or generate content.
The next stage of AI is beginning to look quite different.
At its recent industry events, Infor introduced its new generation of AI Agents, designed to support business processes rather than simply respond to prompts. Instead of acting like an assistant that waits for instructions, AI Agents are intended to monitor information, identify issues and carry out specific business tasks within defined rules.
For manufacturers, this represents a shift from AI being a productivity tool for individuals to becoming part of everyday operational workflows.
An AI Agent is software that can analyse information, make decisions within predefined boundaries and complete tasks with limited human intervention.
Unlike a traditional chatbot, which responds when someone asks a question, an AI Agent works in the background.
For example, it might:
Rather than replacing people, AI Agents are designed to help teams respond more quickly by bringing important information to their attention before problems become larger.
While AI Agents are receiving considerable attention, their effectiveness depends on the quality of the information they use.
Manufacturing businesses often have data spread across multiple systems, spreadsheets and manual processes. If operational information is inconsistent or disconnected, AI has limited visibility into what is actually happening across the business.
For this reason, many organisations are focusing on strengthening their operational data before introducing more advanced AI capabilities.
An integrated ERP platform provides much of the information that AI Agents rely on, including production schedules, inventory, purchasing, customer orders and financial data.
When these business processes are connected, AI has a more complete picture of the operation and can provide more meaningful recommendations.
One of the more practical aspects of AI Agents is that they are designed to support decision-making rather than automate every decision.
Manufacturing environments are rarely predictable.
Production priorities change.
Supplier deliveries are delayed.
Customer demand fluctuates.
Experienced people remain central to managing these situations.
AI Agents can help by identifying patterns, highlighting risks and reducing the time spent searching for information, allowing managers to focus on making informed operational decisions.
Like many new technologies, AI Agents are unlikely to be adopted across every business process at once.
Many manufacturers are expected to begin with relatively focused applications, such as monitoring inventory exceptions, assisting customer service teams or identifying production issues that require attention.
As organisations become more familiar with the technology, additional use cases are likely to emerge.
This gradual approach mirrors how many manufacturers have adopted ERP systems over time, establishing a strong operational foundation before extending capability as business priorities evolve.
AI Agents are still an emerging technology, but they represent an important step in how manufacturers interact with their business systems.
Rather than simply providing information when asked, future ERP platforms are likely to play a more active role in helping businesses monitor operations, identify opportunities and respond to changing conditions.
For manufacturers, the conversation is becoming less about whether AI will be used, and more about how to ensure the underlying operational data is accurate, connected and ready to support it.
Source: Infor 2026 product announcements and industry briefings introducing AI Agents as part of the Infor Industry Cloud platform.
