State of AI in the Commonwealth - The Promise of AI and AI Agents
Ryan Wright Explores the Current State of Artificial Intelligence in VA
The Center for Management IT at the McIntire School of Commerce has launched the State of AI Report for the Commonwealth, which draws on nearly 200 sources. The focus is on Virginia and the impact and opportunities of AI within the commonwealth.
Video 6: Promise of AI and AI Agents
Big Question: When AI can act—not just advise—who should be in control, and where does the value actually land?
Marc Santugini, Associate Professor, Department of Economics
“First one billion dollar company run by one human and a team of AI agents”. - Prof. Santugini
Mark Outten, Information Technology and School Systems Director, Batten
“Agents on the desktop, built into desktop tools…giving personalized access to your work”. - Prof. Outten
Reza Mousavi, Associate Professor of Commerce, McIntire
“Organizational hierarchies will become flatter…migrating from prompt engineering to intent engineering”. - Prof. Mousavi
🔑 Key Insights from The Promise of AI and AI Agents
🤖 The leap is from passive AI to active execution.
In the workflow example, the chatbot stays passive and isolated, while the agent becomes active and integrated by handling a full chain🧾 AI investments are falling short.
95% of generative AI investments have produced zero returns, yet AI high performers are 3.6x more likely to plan transformative business changes.🧠 By 2030, the researcher becomes an orchestrator.
The future researcher is not just using one AI tool, but managing fleets of AI agents and relying on Context Libraries to guide institutional knowledge.
Five Strategic Imperatives for Virginia
Universal AI Literacy - Easy-access AI training for every Virginian
Workplace Training at Scale - Faster, larger-scale training for AI-era skills
Displaced Worker Support - Reskilling and re-employment pathways
Business Optimization - Deploy AI deep and narrow, not broad and shallow
Infrastructure for Growth - Power, sites, connectivity, and capital for AI growth
Videos
Topic 6: the Promise of AI and AI agents (Above)
See the full report here.
State of AI in the Commonwealth 2026
Ryan Wright is a professor at UVA’s McIntire School of Commerce and Co-Director of AI Research at UVA.