Glean’s AI Builds Agents That Work While You Sleep

Glean, the enterprise software unicorn, has unveiled a powerful suite of tools for businesses to build, deploy, and manage digital agents. As competition from tech giants like Google, Snowflake, and Dropbox intensifies, Glean is doubling down on AI-driven automation to transform enterprise search and workflow efficiency.

From Enterprise Search to Autonomous Agents

Glean initially positioned itself as “Google search for businesses,” helping employees instantly query enterprise data across various applications. The platform integrates with internal systems—Slack, Google Docs, Figma, email, and more—delivering rapid, AI-driven summaries. Now, the company is taking its capabilities further with digital agents designed to automate workplace tasks.

The concept is simple yet powerful: employees describe a task in natural language, and Glean’s AI breaks it down into actionable steps. For example, a user can request: “Prep for my one-on-one with Tina.” Glean scours shared emails, messages, and files to identify relevant topics, then generates a structured agenda. Users can save this agent for repeated use or configure it to run automatically before every meeting.

Agents That Work 24/7

Emrecan Dogan, Glean’s head of product, emphasized the transformative potential of these AI agents:

“Your agents are working for you while you are asleep.”

This automation-first approach shifts the role of AI from a passive assistant to an active, autonomous worker, constantly gathering and structuring information in the background.

Competing in a Crowded AI Market

Glean’s innovation comes at a time when enterprise search is becoming a battleground. Google, in particular, has ramped up its efforts in this space, integrating advanced search features into Google Cloud. The Information reported in late 2023 that Google is preparing a direct competitor to Glean’s offering.

To stay ahead, Glean isn’t just refining search—it’s building a full-fledged AI ecosystem. The latest updates include:

• Agent libraries – A collection of pre-built agents that employees can customize and share.
• Real-time internet search – Combining internal enterprise data with live web results.
• Automated workflows – Digital agents can be scheduled to run and execute tasks independently.

AI That Learns and Shares Knowledge

One of the most compelling demonstrations of Glean’s new capabilities involved a sales call prep request. Dogan showed how an agent compared Glean to a competitor, Canadian firm Coveo, by pulling from both internal data and the web in real time. The chatbot displayed its step-by-step reasoning process on-screen, ensuring transparency and accuracy.

Another game-changing feature is the ability to share agents across teams. If one employee refines an agent to optimize a process, others can instantly access it—eliminating redundant effort and maximizing efficiency.

Aiming for Market Dominance

Glean’s aggressive expansion into AI-driven digital agents aligns with its impressive growth. The company recently announced it surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue for the 2024 fiscal year.

As enterprise AI evolves, Glean is positioning itself as more than just a search tool. By automating workflows, personalizing digital agents, and integrating real-time data, the company is making a play to be the AI backbone of modern workplaces. Whether it can outmaneuver Google and other tech giants remains to be seen—but with automation working around the clock, Glean is ensuring businesses stay ahead, even while they sleep.