From Automation to Orchestration: Why Agentic AI Is the Next Leap

In this episode of Local Marketing Beat, host Christian Hustle sits down with Ana Martinez, Chief Technology Officer at Uberall, to explore how brands can move beyond static automation and into the new era of agentic AI and dynamic orchestration. Ana shares why she sees AI as a “teammate” that can reason, plan, and act toward business goals, and how this mindset shift is transforming multi-location marketing.

From embedding autonomous intelligence across workflows to maintaining human oversight and brand trust, Ana explains how Uberall’s UB-I acts like a performance manager for every location, working 24/7 to improve scores and outcomes. She also unpacks the technical challenges of building guardrails for AI, ensuring all activity is traceable and on-brand, and why early adoption gives brands a competitive “booster” that’s hard to catch up to.

The conversation dives into practical applications, surprising use cases from early UB-I adopters, and a vision for the future where AI agents replace search boxes entirely. Ana offers concrete steps for leaders to start small, focus on outcomes, and measure impact, and why the most successful brands will lead AI transformation instead of following it

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Agentic AI goes beyond automation, reasoning toward outcomes rather than executing fixed rules

• Treat AI like a capable intern — provide context, oversight, and feedback to improve performance over time

• UB-I operates as a 24/7 performance manager for every location, with human control and full auditability

• Building AI guardrails early ensures trust, brand consistency, and safer customer interactions

• Early adopters of agentic AI gain a competitive advantage that compounds over time

• AI is poised to change the customer journey, potentially replacing traditional search boxes with conversational agents

• Leaders should identify high-impact, manual areas and run AI pilots to measure real-world results

• The future of AI in marketing is human-machine collaboration at scale

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction & Setup
Christian introduces Ana Martinez and the topic of moving from automation to orchestration with agentic AI.

01:15 – From Automation to Agentic AI
Ana explains how agentic AI differs from static automation, enabling systems to reason and act toward business goals.

02:58 – AI as a Teammate, Not a Task Runner
The “best intern” analogy and why AI needs onboarding, context, and feedback.

05:26 – Why Agentic Beats Traditional Automation
How AI can handle complexity, personalization, and real-time adaptation at scale.

07:12 – From Agentic AI to Orchestration
Moving from controlling tasks to directing outcomes for harmony and scale without chaos.

08:24 – Inside Uberall’s UB-I and the Swarm of Agents
How UB-I acts as the conductor for autonomous agents across locations.

10:24 – Surprising Use Cases from Early Adopters
Unexpected questions UB-I can answer thanks to its contextual integration.

12:18 – Building Guardrails and Staying On Brand
Why trust, traceability, and on-topic responses are central to AI adoption.

14:27 – Business Impact: Speed, Scale & Consistency
Operational benefits for multi-location brands using agentic AI.

15:39 – The Future of AI Search and the Death of the Search Box
Industry trends pointing toward AI agents replacing traditional search.

18:51 – Two Axes of AI Transformation for Marketers
How to rethink both consumer-facing and internal operations in the AI era.

20:26 – Final Advice: Lead the AI Shift, Do Not Follow
Ana’s call for brands to embrace AI early and treat it as a growth accelerator.