Platforms, Tools, Assistants, and Agents: Choosing the best solution for your company
Accelerating Innovation and Empowering Teams with Intelligent Solutions
Technology is advancing at a dizzying pace, and companies face the constant challenge of improving their efficiency and productivity. Not to mention the challenge posed by technical debt, or worse, the demand for innovation. Business cultures, customs, processes, and ways of working must transform to overcome these challenges.
With the arrival of a new wave of automation, driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI), software development is no exception. On the contrary, this last bastion of the "supreme craftsman," the programmer, is being redefined, leading us into a new era where we have access to an almost infinite variety of technological solutions, ranging from complete platforms to specialized tools, including intelligent assistants and autonomous agentspowered by AI”.
However, with so many options, it can be overwhelming to decide which of these technologies is best for your company. This whitepaper aims to break down the key differences between platforms, tools, assistants, and agents, and offer a clear guide on how to integrate them based on your organization's needs and technological maturity.
Platforms are comprehensive, cohesive systems that address complex problems or complete development cycles. A platform like GeneXus Next or Globant Enterprise AI (formerly GeneXus Enterprise AI) not only simplifies the development and maintenance of applications but also integrates modules to automate various phases of the development cycle, such as testing, code generation, and user interface creation (in the case of GeneXus Next), or modules for building agents connected to real-time business data, usage control, access, and data flow management.
The main advantage of platforms is their ability to cover an entire process, providing an end-to-end solution.
Platforms are ideal for companies looking to transform their processes comprehensively, as they allow for the integration of multiple technologies, assistants, and agents within a single cohesive environment.
Powered by GeneXus: Globant Enterprise AI to Boost Your Business Processes with Generative AI
Tools are especially useful when a company already has well-established processes but needs to optimize or improve certain areas or functions without making large investments.
For example, a tool like GeneXus BPM Modeler (also part of the GeneXus BPM Suite) allows for the independent modeling and automation of business processes. It can be easily integrated into any company's workflow without requiring significant changes to the general system, providing companies with a concrete solution to a specific need.
A good example of an assistant in the GeneXus ecosystem is the GeneXus Design Assistant, a Figma plugin that uses generative artificial intelligence to integrate application design into the GeneXus workflow. This assistant allows designers to accelerate and optimize the design process, facilitates rapid prototyping, improves real-time collaboration, and creates designs ready to be imported into GeneXus based on the data models defined by the platform, ensuring a seamless integration between design and software development.
How AI is Revolutionizing the Development and Design Cycle in GeneXus
In the GeneXus and Globant ecosystem, although agents are more autonomous than assistants, they always include a factor of human participation and control. A good example is CodeFixer, a tool that identifies and corrects code errors semi-automatically. CodeFixer acts as an AI agent workflow that analyzes code, detects issues, and applies fixes with human oversight and confirmation, efficiently optimizing the debugging process and reducing the necessary human effort.
The main advantage of agents or agentic systems is their ability to reduce the operational workload on the team while improving the accuracy and efficiency of processes. This is particularly useful for repetitive tasks or those prone to human error, such as software testing.
Example:
Companies looking to integrate and generate multiple technologies while simplifying their complex workflows can benefit from a platform like GeneXus Next, which covers everything from sophisticated software modeling to code generation and the creation of intelligent experiences for multiple channels or platforms
Example:
A company with well-defined processes that needs to optimize workflow management could benefit fro GeneXus BPM Modeler, a tool that allows for independent business process modeling and automation without the need to change the entire system. This tool integrates quickly into existing operations, facilitating specific improvements in operational efficiency.
Example:
A design team looking to improve the speed and accuracy of design decisions can benefit from an assistant like the GeneXus Design Assistant, which uses generative artificial intelligence to provide data-based suggestions, optimizing the creative process without replacing human creativity or intervention.
Example:
Companies managing large volumes of software testing, especially those developing large-scale applications, can benefit from an agent like MagnifAI, which automates and optimizes the testing process with AI, reducing the need for constant intervention while ensuring the necessary supervision to guarantee quality.
To understand the impact of adopting platforms, tools, assistants, and agents, it's important to go beyond the technical aspects. These solutions not only transform internal development processes but also have a direct impact on business results and the competitive capacity of companies. Below, we explore some key business benefits of implementing these technologies:
Integrated platforms, such as GeneXus Next or Globant Enterprise AI enable the management of the software development lifecycle or the integration of AI into companies, respectively, all from a single place. This reduces duplication of effort and accelerates development timelines, thereby improving team productivity. The result is an increased ability to launch products quickly, which is crucial in highly competitive markets.
The adoption of agents and specific tools empowers work teams.By automating repetitive tasks, such as testing or code correction, companies not only reduce errors and increase efficiency but also free up employees from monotonous activities, allowing them to focus on more strategic and creative projects. This results in betterquality and cost outcomes, and also improves the satisfaction and professional growth of those who work with these technologies, as they can focus on adding more value in less time.
By using agents that automate key processes and tools that eliminate errors, companies can ensure greater consistency and accuracy in the products they develop. This not only improves the customer experience but also reduces the number of errors that reach the final stages of development, thereby decreasing the cost of fixing issues in production.
Platforms like GeneXus are designed to scale with your business needs. Whether you’re working in a small startup or a multinational company, these solutions allow you to grow and evolve efficiently over time. As your requirements increase, you can integrate more technologies, agents, or modules without disrupting your operations.
Assistants and agents allow teams to focus on creativity and innovation by freeing them from monotonous tasks. This agility in decision-making and execution enables faster experimentation with new ideas, improving the company’s ability to adapt to changing market demands.
AI-based assistants, such as those integrated into GeneXus, enable teams to optimize and accelerate key processes across various areas, from design to data analysis and business management. By offering tools that facilitate the rapid visualization of ideas, the automatic generation of model-based solutions, and the agile validation of concepts, companies can shorten their work cycles and validate decisions more quickly. This not only improves operational efficiency but also fosters smoother collaboration between teams with diverse profiles, ensuring results that are better aligned with organizational goals and user needs.
Adopting platforms, tools, assistants, and agents is not just a technical matter, but a key strategy to boost productivity, innovation, and business competitiveness. In a world where speed and precision make all the difference, companies that implement these solutions not only optimize their processes but also unlock the potential of their teams to focus on what really matters: creating innovative products and services that add value to the market.
At GeneXus, we firmly believe that technology should empower people, allowing them to focus on strategic projects while repetitive and error-prone tasks are automated efficiently. The solutions we offer, from platforms to AI agents, are designed to accompany companies on this journey, helping them grow and adapt in a changing environment.
In this presentation, Gabriel Simonet, CMO of GeneXus, shares the lessons learned by GeneXus and Globant in creating AI solutions tailored to business needs. With firsthand insights, he explains how Artificial Intelligence can transform the productivity and competitiveness of organizations. Don't miss it!
Enterprise Low-Code Meets GenAI: Revolutionizing the Future of Software Development
GeneXus Philosophy: 40 Years Later
Modeling AI Applications: Creating New Experiences Powered by AI
GeneXus Next Start: Kick Off Projects with AI and Low-Code in a Hybrid Conversational Environment
AI in Action: Our Experience at GeneXus
Artificial Intelligence Applied in Real Businesses
The Transformative Power of GeneXus: Success Stories from Industry-Leading Companies
GeneXus Super Apps: Shaping the Future of Modular Business Ecosystems
Boost your App Development with K2BTools
WorkWithPlus: Release the Power of AI and Get Unbeatable Productivity in GeneXus
Would you like to empower your company?
Whether you're looking to create innovative products, optimize processes, or digitally transform your business, GeneXus has the solutions you need. With a Low-Code approach, the integration of AI assistants and agents, and the ability to adapt to any technological environment, GeneXus gives you the tools to accelerate development and improve your outcomes.
Contact us today to discover how we can help you maximize your potential and unlock the real value of your business!
With the arrival of a new wave of automation, driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI), software development is no exception. On the contrary, this last bastion of the "supreme craftsman," the programmer, is being redefined, leading us into a new era where we have access to an almost infinite variety of technological solutions, ranging from complete platforms to specialized tools, including intelligent assistants and autonomous agentspowered by AI”.
However, with so many options, it can be overwhelming to decide which of these technologies is best for your company. This whitepaper aims to break down the key differences between platforms, tools, assistants, and agents, and offer a clear guide on how to integrate them based on your organization's needs and technological maturity.
1. Key Differences: Platforms, Tools, Assistants, and Agents
Platforms
Platforms are comprehensive, cohesive systems that address complex problems or complete development cycles. A platform like GeneXus Next or Globant Enterprise AI (formerly GeneXus Enterprise AI) not only simplifies the development and maintenance of applications but also integrates modules to automate various phases of the development cycle, such as testing, code generation, and user interface creation (in the case of GeneXus Next), or modules for building agents connected to real-time business data, usage control, access, and data flow management.
The main advantage of platforms is their ability to cover an entire process, providing an end-to-end solution.
Platforms are ideal for companies looking to transform their processes comprehensively, as they allow for the integration of multiple technologies, assistants, and agents within a single cohesive environment.
Context example:
A large company looking to incorporate AI into its complete software development cycle could greatly benefit from a platform like Globant Enterprise AI. This platform, which can be implemented in systems regardless of the technology they were developed with, allows for the management of an Agent Foundation, facilitating the creation and optimization of autonomous assistants and agents and that improve process efficiency. Moreover, Globant Enterprise AI provides advanced tools for user control, cost management, and access, enabling detailed and efficient supervision of the resources involved in AI implementation.
A large company looking to incorporate AI into its complete software development cycle could greatly benefit from a platform like Globant Enterprise AI. This platform, which can be implemented in systems regardless of the technology they were developed with, allows for the management of an Agent Foundation, facilitating the creation and optimization of autonomous assistants and agents and that improve process efficiency. Moreover, Globant Enterprise AI provides advanced tools for user control, cost management, and access, enabling detailed and efficient supervision of the resources involved in AI implementation.
Watch these videos
GeneXus Next: The AI-Powered Low-Code Platform to Accelerate Software DevelopmentPowered by GeneXus: Globant Enterprise AI to Boost Your Business Processes with Generative AI
Tools
At the other end of the spectrum are tools, which are more specialized, fragmented solutions focused on specific tasks within a broader process. Unlike platforms, tools focus on solving specific tasks within a larger process. This makes them more flexible and easier to implement, as they do not require a complete transformation of existing systems. While these tools may be part of a platform, they can also be accessed independently.Tools are especially useful when a company already has well-established processes but needs to optimize or improve certain areas or functions without making large investments.
For example, a tool like GeneXus BPM Modeler (also part of the GeneXus BPM Suite) allows for the independent modeling and automation of business processes. It can be easily integrated into any company's workflow without requiring significant changes to the general system, providing companies with a concrete solution to a specific need.
Context example:
A company that has already defined its business processes but wants to optimize and automate key areas could benefit from a tool like GeneXus BPM Modeler. This would allow them to model workflows and automate specific tasks without the need to change their entire management system or restructure their infrastructure. Ideal for companies looking to improve operational efficiency in critical areas like project management or task allocation, without making a significant initial investment or affecting other parts of their workflow.
Check out this success story: Ayuntamiento de Blumenau
A company that has already defined its business processes but wants to optimize and automate key areas could benefit from a tool like GeneXus BPM Modeler. This would allow them to model workflows and automate specific tasks without the need to change their entire management system or restructure their infrastructure. Ideal for companies looking to improve operational efficiency in critical areas like project management or task allocation, without making a significant initial investment or affecting other parts of their workflow.
Check out this success story: Ayuntamiento de Blumenau
Assistants
AI assistants are tools that support users in performing tasks or making decisions within a development workflow. Unlike agents, assistants require human intervention to complete tasks, though they facilitate and optimize many of the decisions that need to be made.A good example of an assistant in the GeneXus ecosystem is the GeneXus Design Assistant, a Figma plugin that uses generative artificial intelligence to integrate application design into the GeneXus workflow. This assistant allows designers to accelerate and optimize the design process, facilitates rapid prototyping, improves real-time collaboration, and creates designs ready to be imported into GeneXus based on the data models defined by the platform, ensuring a seamless integration between design and software development.
Context example:
A design team looking to quickly turn ideas into functional applications could benefit from the GeneXus Design Assistant. This allows them to create prototypes and validate concepts quickly, reducing delivery times and improving cross-discipline collaboration.
A design team looking to quickly turn ideas into functional applications could benefit from the GeneXus Design Assistant. This allows them to create prototypes and validate concepts quickly, reducing delivery times and improving cross-discipline collaboration.
Watch this video
How AI is Revolutionizing the Development and Design Cycle in GeneXus
Agents
AI agents, also known as Agentic AI Systems or Agentic Workflows, are systems or workflows that theoretically could achieve full autonomy. Unlike assistants, these agents or agentic systems can make decisions and execute tasks with minimal human intervention and oversight, acting independently to solve complex problems or sequences of tasks in a more automated manner.In the GeneXus and Globant ecosystem, although agents are more autonomous than assistants, they always include a factor of human participation and control. A good example is CodeFixer, a tool that identifies and corrects code errors semi-automatically. CodeFixer acts as an AI agent workflow that analyzes code, detects issues, and applies fixes with human oversight and confirmation, efficiently optimizing the debugging process and reducing the necessary human effort.
The main advantage of agents or agentic systems is their ability to reduce the operational workload on the team while improving the accuracy and efficiency of processes. This is particularly useful for repetitive tasks or those prone to human error, such as software testing.
Context example:
A company managing large software projects and looking to reduce time spent on error correction could benefit from CodeFixer. This AI agent identifies and corrects errors with minimal or moderate human intervention, improving the development team's efficiency by freeing up programmers to focus on more critical tasks. In projects where speed and accuracy are essential, CodeFixer helps maintain high-quality standards while minimizing production errors.
A company managing large software projects and looking to reduce time spent on error correction could benefit from CodeFixer. This AI agent identifies and corrects errors with minimal or moderate human intervention, improving the development team's efficiency by freeing up programmers to focus on more critical tasks. In projects where speed and accuracy are essential, CodeFixer helps maintain high-quality standards while minimizing production errors.
2. Contexts and benefits of each solution
- Platforms: Complete Transformation and Scalability
Platforms are the best option for companies seeking a comprehensive transformation of their processes and a solution that encompasses all aspects of a complex cycle, such as software development. They are ideal for organizations that require scalability, flexibility, and automation throughout the development cycle.Example:
Companies looking to integrate and generate multiple technologies while simplifying their complex workflows can benefit from a platform like GeneXus Next, which covers everything from sophisticated software modeling to code generation and the creation of intelligent experiences for multiple channels or platforms
- Tools: Quick and Targeted Solutions
Tools are perfect for companies looking to improve specific areas without completely altering their processes. Being more specialized solutions, they enable quick results and can be easily integrated into already established workflows.Example:
A company with well-defined processes that needs to optimize workflow management could benefit fro GeneXus BPM Modeler, a tool that allows for independent business process modeling and automation without the need to change the entire system. This tool integrates quickly into existing operations, facilitating specific improvements in operational efficiency.
- Assistants: Human-Driven Optimization for Specific Problems
Assistants are useful in contexts where human intervention remains essential, but repetitive tasks can be optimized. They are perfect for teams needing to make quick decisions or reduce time spent on routine tasks without losing control.Example:
A design team looking to improve the speed and accuracy of design decisions can benefit from an assistant like the GeneXus Design Assistant, which uses generative artificial intelligence to provide data-based suggestions, optimizing the creative process without replacing human creativity or intervention.
- Agents: Automation and Error Reduction
Agents are the most suitable option for companies that need advanced automation or reduced human intervention in certain processes. They are ideal for organizations looking to minimize human oversight in repetitive or error-prone tasks, such as software testing or code correction. While the market often refers to agents as entities capable of achieving full autonomy, at GeneXus by Globant, we subscribe to a human-centered vision of agents and agentic systems, always maintaining at least a minimum level of supervision and control.Example:
Companies managing large volumes of software testing, especially those developing large-scale applications, can benefit from an agent like MagnifAI, which automates and optimizes the testing process with AI, reducing the need for constant intervention while ensuring the necessary supervision to guarantee quality.
3. Scenarios for the Integration of These Technologies
Scenario 1: Small or Medium Enterprises with Manual Processes
If your company is small or medium-sized and still has manual or inefficient processes, the best path is to start by incorporating specific tools that solve targeted problems. This will allow you to optimize critical areas without making large investments or transformations. Over time, as your company grows, you could consider scaling up to a full platform.Scenario 2: Companies with Established Processes Seeking Optimization
For companies with well-established processes, the ideal approach is to start by integrating assistants that optimize team tasks without requiring drastic changes. Once the assistants have optimized tasks in specific areas, the next step can be adopting a platform like Globant Enterprise AI to manage and create new assistants, eventually progressing to creating agents or agentic processes to gradually automate more complex tasks.Scenario 3: Small or Medium Enterprises Looking to Create Products or Offer IT Services
Small or medium-sized businesses looking to create digital products or offer services to third parties can find an ideal solution in a platform like GeneXus, which automates and accelerates their development process. GeneXus allows you to develop and maintain applications in a wide variety of languages and databases, and deploy them in any environment, be it cloud providers, on-premise servers, or hybrid environments. All of this is possible without large development teams or advanced programming knowledge, thanks to its Low-Code approach and the integration of AI tools, assistants, and agents.Scenario 4: Large Companies on the Path to Digital Transformation
Larger companies, or those undergoing digital transformation, changing their workflows, and adopting new technologies, should opt for comprehensive platforms from the start. This approach allows them to integrate and optimize all their processes and workflows into a cohesive system. By implementing a platform like Globant Enterprise AI, for instance, companies can create, chain, and manage assistants and agents in a unified environment, facilitating scalability, automation, and maintaining centralized control over the technological operations and business processes they define.4. Understanding the Tangible Benefits for Businesses
To understand the impact of adopting platforms, tools, assistants, and agents, it's important to go beyond the technical aspects. These solutions not only transform internal development processes but also have a direct impact on business results and the competitive capacity of companies. Below, we explore some key business benefits of implementing these technologies:
A) Increased Productivity
Integrated platforms, such as GeneXus Next or Globant Enterprise AI enable the management of the software development lifecycle or the integration of AI into companies, respectively, all from a single place. This reduces duplication of effort and accelerates development timelines, thereby improving team productivity. The result is an increased ability to launch products quickly, which is crucial in highly competitive markets.
B) Work Optimization and Capacity Enhancement
The adoption of agents and specific tools empowers work teams.By automating repetitive tasks, such as testing or code correction, companies not only reduce errors and increase efficiency but also free up employees from monotonous activities, allowing them to focus on more strategic and creative projects. This results in betterquality and cost outcomes, and also improves the satisfaction and professional growth of those who work with these technologies, as they can focus on adding more value in less time.
C) Improved Product Quality
By using agents that automate key processes and tools that eliminate errors, companies can ensure greater consistency and accuracy in the products they develop. This not only improves the customer experience but also reduces the number of errors that reach the final stages of development, thereby decreasing the cost of fixing issues in production.
D) Scalability
Platforms like GeneXus are designed to scale with your business needs. Whether you’re working in a small startup or a multinational company, these solutions allow you to grow and evolve efficiently over time. As your requirements increase, you can integrate more technologies, agents, or modules without disrupting your operations.
E) Continuous Innovation
Assistants and agents allow teams to focus on creativity and innovation by freeing them from monotonous tasks. This agility in decision-making and execution enables faster experimentation with new ideas, improving the company’s ability to adapt to changing market demands.
F) Optimization and Agility in Decision-Making
AI-based assistants, such as those integrated into GeneXus, enable teams to optimize and accelerate key processes across various areas, from design to data analysis and business management. By offering tools that facilitate the rapid visualization of ideas, the automatic generation of model-based solutions, and the agile validation of concepts, companies can shorten their work cycles and validate decisions more quickly. This not only improves operational efficiency but also fosters smoother collaboration between teams with diverse profiles, ensuring results that are better aligned with organizational goals and user needs.
5. Empower Your Company's People with AI
Adopting platforms, tools, assistants, and agents is not just a technical matter, but a key strategy to boost productivity, innovation, and business competitiveness. In a world where speed and precision make all the difference, companies that implement these solutions not only optimize their processes but also unlock the potential of their teams to focus on what really matters: creating innovative products and services that add value to the market.
At GeneXus, we firmly believe that technology should empower people, allowing them to focus on strategic projects while repetitive and error-prone tasks are automated efficiently. The solutions we offer, from platforms to AI agents, are designed to accompany companies on this journey, helping them grow and adapt in a changing environment.
Watch this video
A Map to AI Adoption and Independence: Navigating the Enterprise AI RevolutionIn this presentation, Gabriel Simonet, CMO of GeneXus, shares the lessons learned by GeneXus and Globant in creating AI solutions tailored to business needs. With firsthand insights, he explains how Artificial Intelligence can transform the productivity and competitiveness of organizations. Don't miss it!
Want to dive even deeper?
Discover these resources designed to explore in detail everything you can do with GeneXus platforms and tools:Enterprise Low-Code Meets GenAI: Revolutionizing the Future of Software Development
GeneXus Philosophy: 40 Years Later
Modeling AI Applications: Creating New Experiences Powered by AI
GeneXus Next Start: Kick Off Projects with AI and Low-Code in a Hybrid Conversational Environment
AI in Action: Our Experience at GeneXus
Artificial Intelligence Applied in Real Businesses
The Transformative Power of GeneXus: Success Stories from Industry-Leading Companies
GeneXus Super Apps: Shaping the Future of Modular Business Ecosystems
Boost your App Development with K2BTools
WorkWithPlus: Release the Power of AI and Get Unbeatable Productivity in GeneXus
Would you like to empower your company?
Whether you're looking to create innovative products, optimize processes, or digitally transform your business, GeneXus has the solutions you need. With a Low-Code approach, the integration of AI assistants and agents, and the ability to adapt to any technological environment, GeneXus gives you the tools to accelerate development and improve your outcomes.Contact us today to discover how we can help you maximize your potential and unlock the real value of your business!