Sierra introduces Ghostwriter for creating AI agents

Bret Taylor, co-founder and CEO of Sierra, believes that the way humans interact with software will change in the near future. Last month, Sierra launched Ghostwriter, an agent designed to build other agents. With this "agent as a service" tool, the startup aims to replace traditional click-based web applications with natural language.

Users simply describe their needs, prompting Ghostwriter to autonomously create and deploy a specialized agent to execute the task. Taylor argues that replacing software with language-driven prompts is appealing because many tools currently used in enterprises are not utilized regularly. For instance, he noted that employees only log into Workday when onboarding and perhaps for open enrollment.

According to him, instead of learning to navigate complex systems, users will soon use natural language to complete tasks without interacting with the software interface. “I truly think that’s where the world is going,” Taylor stated.

He added that Sierra is already leveraging Ghostwriter to deploy agents at “unparalleled speeds.” As an example, he mentioned that his startup implemented an agent for Nordstrom in just four weeks. Sierra announced last fall that it reached a $100 million annual revenue run rate (ARR) less than 21 months after its founding. The company was last valued at $10 billion when it raised a $350 million round led by Greenoaks Capital in September.

While Taylor predicts a fundamental shift in software, several technologists and investors inform that, for now, AI agent implementation is far from autonomous. Many companies claiming to offer AI agents, including Sierra and legal AI startup Harvey, employ “forward-deployed” engineers who must constantly update and fine-tune customer agents to ensure they work as intended.