Cisco brings collaborative agents and Claude into Webex chats
Cisco is adding AI agents to Webex group chats so colleagues can assign them work and share the results, part of a wider revamp of the Webex app. Announced at the WebexOne conference Wednesday, users will soon be able to @mention agents in Webex “spaces” to help schedule meetings, take notes, and track tasks. “You work with AI, but your teammates may never see that work — they can’t build on it,…
Cisco is introducing AI agents to Webex group chats, allowing users to assign tasks and share results within the app. The feature is part of a broader update to the Webex app, which includes a personalized landing page to highlight work priorities and upcoming meetings. Amit Barave, Cisco's vice president and general manager for Webex Suite and AI, explained that AI agents become integral team members, participating in work without the need for teams to build upon or reuse their work.
Snorre Kjesbu, Cisco's vice president and general manager for collaboration, emphasized that collaborative agents make AI a shared capability for the team, helping people prepare together, advance decisions, and coordinate next steps without losing conversation context. The AI agents can be accessed during video and voice calls via the AI Assistant side panel, though they will be visible to individual users rather than teams.
Cisco's announcement aligns with the trend among collaboration software vendors to integrate AI agents directly into their applications. Irwin Lazar, a principal analyst at Metrigy, noted that such agents can perform tasks like managing meeting agendas, facilitating, and providing contextual information during meetings. The changes are part of a wider Webex app refresh that includes a new personalized landing page, upcoming meetings suggestions, and follow-up actions.
Cisco is also expanding the range of third-party agents accessible from Webex, such as Anthropic's Claude Managed Agents and OpenAI's "dot" agents. Additionally, Cisco unveiled Personal Agents for Webex Calling that can screen calls and help users avoid missing important calls. These agents will be available in the first quarter of 2027.
The Translator agent, which provides real-time translation in the Webex app and Cisco 9800 Series Desk Phones, is in controlled availability with support for 10 languages. An AI Coach agent for Vidcast, aimed at helping users improve communication performance, is now available. Metrigy's Lazar observed an increase in demand for agentic tools in collaboration applications, as they can bring context into meetings, save time, and increase focus.
However, Cisco's lack of capability to capture data from non-Webex meetings is seen as a weakness. Some Webex AI capabilities are available at no extra cost in Webex Suite, but advanced features like Polling and Translator agents, the Personal Agents for Calling, and collaborative agent functionality will require a new "Enhanced AI Offer for AI" add-on.
Cisco did not specify if any of the AI features will incur additional, usage-based costs on top of fixed subscription fees.
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