JPMorgan Chase plans to deploy AI agents capable of operating without human intervention for extended periods later this year, according to CNBC.
Derek Waldron, JPMorgan’s chief analytics officer, highlighted a significant shift in AI capabilities, noting that agents are no longer limited to discrete, single-step tasks but can now coordinate complex workflows across multiple software environments. “We’ve entered now the era of long-running autonomous agents,” Waldron said. “That means that agents don’t just run for two or three minutes to carry out a goal or some instructions of a human, they can run for an hour or two.”
The CNBC report indicates the rollout demonstrates progress in addressing security and governance challenges that have historically limited AI adoption in large organizations. “We will have those in 2026,” Waldron confirmed.
Advancements in AI reasoning have driven this progress, with Waldron describing “intellectual coherence” as a model’s ability to sustain productive, independent operation over extended periods. These improvements have shifted AI systems from solo executors to supervisory roles, enabling them to function more like human teams. “Just like how people function, team managers can parse out a problem and delegate activities, and teams can run for a lot longer to do more complex things,” he explained.
Waldron emphasized that agent capabilities are expanding to include code generation, browser navigation, and direct desktop application interaction, significantly broadening their operational scope. He projected that agents will eventually operate coherently for “multiple hours, then days, then weeks.”
As the largest U.S. bank by assets with a $20 billion annual technology budget, JPMorgan has already implemented AI in private banking to analyze overnight market data, client holdings, and research research, allowing bankers to focus more intensively on client relationships. Waldron cited these systems for driving a 20% rise in gross sales and expects the technology could enable each banker to serve approximately 50% more clients than currently possible.
The conversation around AI value is evolving across corporate America, with organizations moving beyond using the technology primarily for workforce reduction toward positioning it as a growth driver. “For enterprises to win with AI, it’s not about cutting the maximum number of jobs,” Waldron stated. “It’s all about trying to create a sustainable competitive advantage.”