Zendesk has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Forethought, aiming to expand its autonomous AI capabilities within its Resolution Platform.

The company anticipates that, during the current year, AI agents will manage more customer service interactions than human agents, signalling a major change in the customer service sector.

Through the proposed acquisition, Zendesk plans to integrate Forethought’s technology to introduce self-learning AI agents capable of generating and executing complex workflows across multiple platforms and channels.

Currently, Zendesk’s AI agents manage more than 80% of customer interactions from start to finish for a wide range of clients. These interactions are effectively handled through a collaborative approach, where both human and AI agents work together to address customer needs.

The existing Resolution Learning Loop feature learns directly from each conversation, eliminating the need for manual retraining and enabling ongoing improvements in performance.

By incorporating Forethought’s AI solutions, Zendesk intends to offer advanced workflow capabilities, support for additional service channels including voice automation, and integration into enterprise systems even where APIs are not available.

Following completion of the acquisition, customers using Forethought products are expected to see continued service without disruption.

Zendesk clients will gain access to enhanced AI features and a more unified service experience, while new users can adopt these solutions independently of the broader Zendesk platform.

Zendesk CEO Tom Eggemeier said: “Forethought’s advanced capabilities perfectly align with our vision for agentic service. Together, we will be scaling self-improving AI that learns from every interaction.

“This proposed acquisition will ensure our customers have the absolute best tools to drive measurable growth in the AI era.”

The company has stated that the transaction will accelerate its product roadmap by more than a year.

Forethought co-founder and CEO said: “With Zendesk’s platform, resources, and global reach, we will bring our technology to many more organisations around the world, move faster on innovation, and continue pushing the boundaries of what AI can do in customer experience.

“For our customers, this means the same innovative products and teams they trust today will be strengthened by the scale, platform, and investment of Zendesk.”

The deal is subject to regulatory approval and other customary conditions and is expected to close by the end of March.