How ElevenLabs’ CTO is rolling out AI agents—and why he thinks bigger efficiency gains are ahead for the voice AI startup

Alex Holt, ElevenLabs' CTO, is enthusiastically embracing AI agents, predicting even greater efficiency gains ahead for the voice AI startup. The company has deployed AI agents for inbound sales development, coaching new sales team members, conducting recruiting interviews, and answering employee questions in Slack. Holt views agentic AI as a central focus for the value businesses expect from their AI investments, with its share of AI value growing from 17% in 2025 to 22% this year and projected to reach 39% by 2030.

Despite most businesses being ill-prepared for multi-agent processes, Holt notes that ElevenLabs' employees collaborate with agents to automate repetitive tasks. The company's core business goals remain the same, with sales teams focusing on generating revenue faster and customer service teams monitoring satisfaction scores. ElevenLabs has even deployed an engineer to support each team, and every group has fewer than 10 people.

Holt emphasizes the importance of the business units driving AI initiatives, with agents serving as tools for them. The company's AI recruiting agent screens candidates in just 30 minutes, freeing recruiters for later stages. Holt foresees a future where multi-agent systems will enable more complex work handoffs between agents, increasing automation for repetitive tasks and allowing employees to focus on complex requests or upselling.

However, implementing agentic AI requires patience, as the benefits may take time to materialize, and Holt stresses the importance of tracking leading indicators and monitoring agents closely to prevent unintended consequences.