Amazon, OpenAI, and China’s Zhipu unveil new AI tools amid intensifying competition

A wave of new AI products is hitting the market, signaling a shift toward more autonomous, task-completing systems that could reshape how businesses and consumers interact with digital services.

Amazon has unveiled Nova Act, an AI agent designed to operate a web browser much like a human user. In parallel, OpenAI said it will release an open-weight language model.

Meanwhile, China’s Zhipu AI introduced a free AI assistant aimed at strengthening its position in the domestic market and competing with Western tech giants.

The announcements reflect a growing competitive push among US and Chinese firms to define the next generation of AI capabilities, with a particular focus on agentic AI -systems that can plan, reason, and take action on behalf of users.

These tools are expected to become central across industries, including productivity applications, customer service platforms, and e-commerce systems.

AI agent race heats up

Agentic AI – systems that can autonomously perform tasks – has captured the imagination of the tech industry, but experts caution that the technology is still maturing before it can be widely deployed in high-stakes enterprise environments.

“The launch of Amazon Nova Act seems to be an interesting one for use cases that are public facing which don’t have too much of risk associated with it (even if operations go slightly wrong),” said Sharath Srinivasamurthy, associate vice president of Research at IDC. “The potential for enterprise use cases for Agentic AI is huge but needs some time to evolve as every enterprise is different, workflows are different, and risks associated with operations going wrong are high.”

While Amazon’s Nova is designed to tackle relatively low-risk browser-based tasks, OpenAI’s move toward releasing an open-weight model could have more immediate implications for enterprise adoption strategies.

An open-weight language model provides public access to its trained parameters, enabling developers to adapt the model for custom applications without needing the original data used during training.

In contrast, open-source models go a step further by releasing the underlying code, datasets, and training processes.

“The world is moving towards open models as enterprises prefer to have more control over what they are using,” Srinivasamurthy said. “With Meta and DeepSeek gaining traction due to their open nature and democratization of AI. A shift towards open models was a matter of time for a pioneer like OpenAI. This move will make the market even more competitive.”As companies reassess their AI strategies, the tension between control, performance, and innovation is expected to shape how and when agentic AI tools are adopted at scale.

Reshaping enterprise strategy

The new launches underscore the shift in how AI is poised to integrate into the enterprise technology stack. Analysts say these developments could accelerate adoption while also forcing businesses to rethink control, customization, and competitive strategy.

“The recent developments from OpenAI, Amazon, and Zhipu AI signal a transformative period in the AI industry,” said Abhivyakti Sengar, practice director at Everest Group. “Amazon’s Nova Act has the potential to redefine enterprise workflows by embedding AI directly into browser environments, streamlining tasks across various sectors.”

Beyond automation, OpenAI’s decision to offer an open-weight model could mark a turning point in how organizations approach AI deployment, particularly in regulated industries or complex internal environments.

Zhipu AI’s emergence as a serious player from China introduces new geopolitical considerations for global companies operating in or partnering with firms in the region.

“OpenAI’s release of an open-weight model democratizes AI development, offering enterprises enhanced customization capabilities while also posing new security considerations,” Sengar added. “Meanwhile, the ascent of Zhipu AI highlights China’s escalating role in AI innovation, urging multinational firms to thoughtfully assess partnerships and competitive strategies in this evolving landscape.” Together, these shifts signal not only the rapid evolution of agentic AI, but also the growing need for enterprises to evaluate AI readiness, governance, and the strategic value of openness in a highly competitive global market.