3. Enable cross-enterprise interaction

This is where interoperability becomes more than a technical architecture issue. With identity, permissions and shared protocols in place, agents can begin to coordinate across organizational boundaries by connecting with partners, suppliers and external platforms to execute workflows that no single system controls end to end. Procurement offers an early signal of what this could look like. MIT’s Center for Transportation & Logistics has described how AI is reshaping supplier negotiations, moving from copilots toward semi-autonomous and autonomous negotiation systems operating within guardrails. Walmart’s use of AI to negotiate replenishment terms with suppliers shows how agentic systems can move beyond internal task automation and into structured interaction with external parties.

For an interoperability lens, the lesson is that cross-enterprise agent workflows require a common operating layer: Verified agent identity, clear authority boundaries, structured data exchange, auditable decisions and shared rules for when humans must approve or intervene. Without that interoperability layer, agents remain trapped inside individual applications. With it, they can participate in broader business ecosystems where sourcing, negotiation, approval, contracting and fulfillment can be coordinated across company boundaries.