Micro Agents: Simplifying to Accelerate
At Hypergen, we are constantly exploring how to make AI more practical and impactful for real business workflows. In recent conversations with clients, and through the strong interest in our recent webinar on the business case for AI, one thing is clear. Organisations are keen to reduce operational costs and eliminate friction using AI, but many are unsure where to begin.
There is no shortage of hype around AI agents and autonomous systems. However, the frameworks required to deploy these capabilities safely and reliably are still maturing. While the potential is exciting, we are focused on helping organisations take confident first steps that deliver real value without creating technical debt.
That is why we are thinking differently. Instead of aiming for complex end-to-end automation, we are focused on simplifying. Our approach is to break large processes down into smaller, well-defined tasks and delegate these to what we call micro agents.
What Are Micro Agents?
We consider micro agents to be small, purpose-built AI components that perform specific tasks within a broader business process.
Unlike traditional AI information assistants (chatbots) which rely on manual input or broad prompts, micro agents are designed to be embedded within systems and workflows. These can be triggered automatically based on events, timers, or business rules, and they typically have secure access to your internal documents, data, and tools.
If you have experimented with tools like custom GPTs inside ChatGPT, the concept may feel familiar. The key difference is that these agents are not just responding to text prompts. They are acting as behind-the-scenes helpers, integrated into operational systems and designed to complete one task reliably.
By simplifying the scope and starting small, organisations can move faster. Micro agents can be deployed quickly, deliver measurable outcomes, and evolve over time as teams gain experience with AI-driven processes.
Why Start with Smaller Tasks?
Trying to automate an entire department or complex workflow in one go is often unrealistic - for that matter, even completing an entire document without human oversight can become quite complex at times.
Starting with small, clearly defined tasks lowers the barrier to entry and creates space to learn.
For example, a micro agent might:
Extract key financial ratios from a spreadsheet
Review a contract for a specific risk clause
Summarise interview note into key takeaways
Generate a progress report from a SharePoint folder
Scan staff attrition data and highlight trends
Each of these tasks could be done manually. But in aggregate, they consume hours of effort, introduce inconsistencies, and slow down operations. Micro agents help streamline this work in a structured, repeatable, and secure way.
A Real Example: Supporting M&A Due Diligence
To illustrate this, consider the complex and high-stakes process of M&A due diligence. When one company is evaluating the purchase of another, a wide range of specialists get involved. Each person has a narrow area of focus—financials, contracts, staffing, compliance, technology—and each needs to review large volumes of information quickly.
We created a visual map (shown below) that outlines some of the common roles involved in due diligence. For each of these roles, we can identify opportunities for small, AI-powered agents to help.
Let us look at a few examples:
Financial Analyst Agent
Triggered by: New financial report upload
Task: Pulls out key metrics like EBITDA and margin trends, flags anomalies
Output: JSON object and optional PDF summary
Contract Review Agent
Triggered by: Workflow event when a new contract is received
Task: Checks for data ownership, liability, and jurisdiction clauses
Output: Structured analysis with pass, fail, or uncertain assessments
HR Risk Agent
Triggered by: Scheduled run during diligence window
Task: Assesses staff turnover, open roles, and key person risk
Output: Summary of flagged risks for HR review
Tech Risk Agent
Triggered by: Manual launch during system documentation review
Task: Summarises architecture, checks for deprecated components or data exposure
Output: Visual summary and list of suggested follow-up items
Each of these agents does a small piece of work that would otherwise require manual analysis. They do not replace the experts but support them by accelerating routine steps, improving consistency, and making it easier to focus on decisions.
Micro Agents as Workflow Extensions
Micro agents are most powerful when embedded into existing business workflows. They can be invoked via low-code platforms like Microsoft Power Platform, Salesforce’s force.com, n8n or Make.com, or directly integrated with custom scripts and API calls.
For example, a SharePoint-based contract review process could be configured as follows:
Contract uploaded to a library
Power Automate flow or an Azure Function detects the upload
Contract Review Agent runs, outputs structured JSON with key risks
Workflow determines whether to escalate for human review
Result is logged, archived, and used in downstream approvals
This pattern is repeatable. It allows for modular, testable components that deliver immediate value without requiring an overhaul of systems or processes.
A Foundation for the Future
Perhaps most importantly, this approach positions organisations to scale in the future. As frameworks for AI agents mature and become more standardized, your library of micro agents can serve as a foundation for larger, more capable systems.
Instead of starting from scratch as the industry continues to move forward, you will have:
Clear documentation of AI use cases that already deliver value
Proven integration points across your processes and systems
A library of agents that can be orchestrated into more complex agentic flows
You can evolve your systems over time without locking into brittle architectures or unproven platforms. This allows you to be a fast follower. You avoid the pitfalls of early adoption but are ready to capitalise as the landscape solidifies.
Final Thoughts
AI does not need to be complex to be valuable. At Hypergen, we believe in making it simpler so organisations can accelerate. Micro agents are our way of helping clients move quickly, safely, and strategically into AI-powered operations.
By starting with narrow, well-defined tasks, you can generate immediate results, reduce manual effort, and set your organisation up to scale as the frameworks evolve.
Whether you are reviewing contracts, evaluating deals, generating reports, or automating approvals, the opportunity to simplify with AI is already here. Micro agents are one way to seize it.