'Working with AI isn't single player any more — it's multiplayer': Atlassian CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes lays out what your business needs in the agentic AI age, and why agents won't replace your human workers anytime soon

Atlassian CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes has emphasized the need for businesses to embrace the 'agentic enterprise era', where AI and human collaboration is crucial for success. Speaking at the company's Team Europe 26 event in Amsterdam, Cannon-Brookes highlighted that while AI models are becoming increasingly capable, they require context to truly help businesses. He stresses that context is the 'fuel' that enables models to deliver value, as they need to understand why decisions were made in the past to assist in the future.

Cannon-Brookes explained how Atlassian's platform can serve as the 'central nervous system' of a company, providing context, collaboration, and communication to ensure employees have the information they need when they need it. He emphasized that AI agents, rather than replacing human workers, are joining teams to enhance productivity and efficiency. However, the rapid pace of technological advancement can pose challenges, as it creates multiple learning loops that can be difficult to manage.

To address these issues, Atlassian introduced AMP - its 'agentic multiplayer protocol offering'. This new protocol aims to boost collaboration between humans and AI agents on and off the Atlassian platform. By providing agents with more tools and resources, AMP enables businesses to harness the power of real-time, multi-player collaboration, bringing together humans and agents from various platforms to tackle complex tasks more effectively.

Cannon-Brookes concluded that while AI agents are not replacing human workers, they are creating a new system of collaboration that empowers organizations to work smarter and faster.