JPMorgan Chase is planning to deploy longer-running autonomous AI agents in 2026

Derek Waldron, JPMorgan's chief analytics officer, described a broader shift underway in the technology, with AI agents no longer confined to discrete, single-step tasks but now capable of coordinating complex workflows spanning multiple software environments. "We've entered now the era of long-running autonomous agents," Waldron said. "That means that agents don't just run for two or three minutes to carry out a goal or some instructions of a human, they can run for an hour or two."

That CNBC report suggests the rollout indicates the technology has largely addressed the security and governance obstacles that large organizations have historically cited as barriers to adoption. "We will have those in 2026," Waldron said.

Progress on that front has been driven in part by gains in AI reasoning, and Waldron gave this capacity a name — "intellectual coherence" — to describe whether a model can sustain productive, independent operation over an extended period. Those reasoning improvements have pushed AI systems away from the role of solo executor and toward something closer to a supervisory function, he said. "Just like how people function, team managers can parse out a problem and delegate activities, and teams can run for a lot longer to do more complex things," Waldron said. Waldron also pointed to capabilities such as code generation, browser navigation, and direct interaction with desktop applications as developments that have meaningfully broadened the scope of tasks agents can handle.

Waldron said that over time, agents will be capable of running coherently for "multiple hours, then days, then weeks."

JPMorgan, the largest U.S. bank by assets, carries a technology budget of nearly $20 billion annually. In private banking, the bank has put AI to work analyzing overnight market data, client holdings, and research so that bankers can direct more of their attention toward client relationships. Waldron credited those systems with driving a 20% rise in gross sales and said he expects the technology could ultimately enable each banker to serve a client base roughly 50% larger than what is currently manageable.

The calculus around AI's value is shifting across corporate America, Waldron said, as organizations move past the initial instinct to use the technology primarily for reducing headcount and begin treating it as a driver of growth. "For enterprises to win with AI, it's not about cutting the maximum number of jobs," he said. "It's all about trying to create a sustainable competitive advantage."

The rollout also reflects a shift in how JPMorgan approaches software development. Waldron said internal development has become a more attractive option at JPMorgan, with the bank scrutinizing more carefully whether vendor solutions are truly necessary. "The moat around certain types of software companies is most certainly diminished versus where it was in the past," he said.

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has said the bank would deploy AI to improve outcomes for customers and employees, even as he has openly acknowledged the likelihood that the technology will eliminate certain roles. He has indicated the company intends to offer retraining and redeployment pathways for workers whose positions are affected.