AWS launches Agentic AI tools as Kenyan firms brace for autonomous shift in 2026
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has signaled a major evolution in enterprise technology, unveiling a suite of Agentic AI tools at its re:Invent 2025 conference that executives described as a “tectonic shift” for the industry.
The cloud giant is betting that 2026 will be the year artificial intelligence graduates from experimental chatbots to autonomous agents capable of executing complex business operations.
For Kenyan businesses, the move promises to be transformative. According to an IDC report cited during the launch, 23% of organizations expect to achieve full deployment of agentic AI technology within the next 12 months.
The announcement centered on major upgrades to Amazon Connect and the new Nova foundation models. Unlike previous iterations of AI that required constant human prompting, these new agents are designed to perceive, reason, and act independently.
“Nova Act achieves breakthrough 90% reliability for browser-based UI automation workflows built by early customers,” the company said in a statement. “Companies like Reddit are using Nova Forge to replace multiple specialized models with a single solution, while Hertz accelerated development velocity by 5x with Nova Act.”
The implications for African markets, particularly in customer service, are significant. The introduction of “Nova Sonic,” a model capable of interpreting tone and sentiment in real-time speech, could revolutionize how local telcos and fintechs handle support. AWS envisions a future where a caller can resolve complex billing issues or transaction reversals entirely through natural speech with an AI agent.
To accelerate this adoption, AWS is heavily incentivizing its partner ecosystem. The company announced it has invested over $115 million in its AI Competency program since 2024 and is now opening up new funding avenues for partners who specialize in these autonomous systems.
“This expansion to include Agentic AI categories reinforces our commitment to help customers move from experimentation to production-grade autonomous systems that can perceive, reason, and act independently,” said Ruba Borno, VP of Global Specialists and Partners at AWS. “This isn’t just about technology validation; it’s about connecting customers with Partners who have proven they can deliver responsible, scalable AI solutions that drive measurable business value.”
For local system integrators, the financial incentives are concrete. AWS confirmed that in 2026, they are offering “an additional $25,000 in Marketing Development Funds (MDF) for achieving validation in any of the Agentic categories,” significantly boosting the potential for Kenyan tech firms to build and deploy these solutions.
With a December 2025 report by Omdia projecting that local cloud firms could see revenue multiply sevenfold through AI-powered services, the race is now on for Kenyan enterprises to integrate these agents into their core infrastructure.
Go to TECHTRENDSKE.co.ke for more tech and business news from the African continent and across the world.
Follow us on WhatsApp, Telegram, Twitter, and Facebook, or subscribe to our weekly newsletter to ensure you don’t miss out on any future updates. Send tips to editorial@techtrendsmedia.co.ke
