Gen AI has revolutionized the way we do business by automating many routine tasks, analyzing data and facilitating the creative process. Many organizations are also experimenting with agentic AI, which can perform more complex tasks without human intervention.
However, getting from basic AI use to full-blown AI adoption is a complex process. Organizations are faced with designing and deploying IT infrastructure, selecting AI toolkits and foundation models, and setting up platforms for aggregating and cleansing data. AI tools must also be integrated with existing applications and infrastructure to maximize adoption and streamline workflows.
That’s a tall order for organizations with limited IT resources and AI expertise. Not surprisingly, Gartner has estimated that 85 percent of AI projects are abandoned or fail to deliver the expected results.
IBM watsonx is designed to help overcome these hurdles. This comprehensive AI platform provides tools for AI integration into your environment and workflows, a fit-for-purpose data store and other components designed to help organizations harness the power of AI for various applications and use cases, and a robust governance platform to govern and manage your data & AI at scale.
Core Components of IBM watsonx
IBM watsonx was introduced on May 9, 2023, at IBM’s annual Think conference. The initial release included the platform’s three core components:
IBM watsonx.ai is a next-generation studio for training, testing, tuning and deploying machine learning and gen AI capabilities. It features an open and intuitive user interface and includes a library of foundation models and training and tuning tools to help organizations jumpstart their AI initiatives.
IBM watsonx.data is a next-gen data lakehouse optimized for AI workloads that supports structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data. It uses open-source formats and toolsets for querying, accessing and sharing data and includes multiple fit-for-purpose query engines to help users uncover valuable insights. It can also integrate with an organization’s existing databases to simplify the user experience.
IBM watsonx.governance is an AI governance toolkit for enabling trusted AI workflows. It provides mechanisms for protecting data privacy and detecting model bias, helping organizations meet their ethical requirements. Operationalizing governance reduces the time and cost associated with manual processes while providing the documentation needed for transparent and explainable results.
Tools for Agentic AI and Developers
On Nov. 22, 2024, IBM expanded the watsonx platform with tools for creating AI agents. Agentic AI can work autonomously, planning its actions, monitoring conditions and events, and making decisions along the way. These capabilities enable agentic AI to perform complex tasks, adapt to changing circumstances and even learn from experience. Humans simply set the objectives and agentic works toward those goals.
The agentic AI tools in IBM watsonx include:
- watsonx Orchestrate, which enables the creation, deployment and management of AI assistants and agents for automating processes and workflows across various business functions.
- watsonx Assistant, a conversational AI application that allows users to quickly deploy chatbots and voice agents for various purposes.
At the IBM Think 2025 conference, IBM announced several expanded agentic AI capabilities within watsonx, including:
- Multi-Agent Orchestration: Facilitates collaboration between multiple AI agents, allowing them to plan, coordinate, and execute tasks collectively across various business functions.
- Agent Catalog: Introduces a repository of over 150 pre-built agents tailored for common business functions like HR, sales, and procurement, enabling rapid deployment and scalability.
- No-Code Agent Builder: Empowers business users to create custom AI agents without coding, streamlining the development process and fostering innovation.
Benefits of Using IBM watsonx
IBM watsonx addresses many of the challenges associated with AI adoption and use, enabling organizations to accelerate the time-to-value of AI investments. Its AI-powered tools can automatically generate content with straightforward, natural-language commands. Its foundation and open-source models are ready to be trained with the organization’s trusted data, allowing users to build and deploy AI solutions quickly, even without specialized AI expertise.
IBM watsonx incorporates the full technology stack needed to train, tune and deploy AI, and includes tools that simplify integration with existing infrastructure. It can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud and has a modular design that allows users to choose the components that best meet their needs.
Cerium is an IBM partner with expertise in the watsonx platform and a wealth of resources to get you started. We’re here to help you explore watsonx features and determine if it’s a good fit for your AI initiatives. Give us a call to schedule a consultation and hands-on demonstration.
