When Google Gives You a Name, Don’t Expect a AI Strategy

You’ve probably seen Google’s new AI Agents Handbook. It’s sleek. It’s polished. It says a lot without saying anything at all.

You have to hand it to Google. They can name a trend, package it in a PDF, and ship it to 1,000,000 inboxes like it’s a new era.

The Big Tech Playbook: Define, Then Disengage

Google’s definition of AI agents sounds inspiring:

“AI agents are systems that can autonomously observe, reason, and act to achieve goals.”

Great. Now what?

If you’re a CEO, COO, or head of innovation actually trying to apply AI to your operations, this “handbook” doesn’t help you figure out:

• When to use agents vs. workflows vs. apps

• How to evaluate real business risks or returns

• What changes to expect in your org chart or daily workflow

• Where you, not Google, own the strategic decision-making

There’s no diagnostic. No trade-off analysis. No tooling guidance. It’s the equivalent of an astrology chart for your tech stack—vague enough to be inoffensive, useless for making decisions.

“We Work Through Pa…