Confluent, the data streaming pioneer, has launched Confluent Intelligence, a new platform designed to bridge the AI context gap by enabling enterprises to build and scale real-time, context-aware artificial intelligence systems. Built on Confluent Cloud, the fully managed solution integrates Apache Kafka and Apache Flink to continuously stream and process both historical and live data, delivering rich context directly into AI applications. This allows organizations to move beyond basic chatbots and deploy intelligent, production-ready AI agents that make timely, informed decisions. According to Jay Kreps, Co-founder and CEO of Confluent, the core challenge in modern AI is context—understanding the full picture of events, relationships, and meaning that models need to reason effectively. Off-the-shelf AI models often lack this depth, leading to limited real-world impact. Confluent Intelligence addresses this by providing a unified infrastructure that ensures data flows seamlessly and reliably, enabling AI systems to adapt in real time. Key capabilities of Confluent Intelligence include: Real-Time Context Engine: A fully managed service that delivers structured, trustworthy context to AI agents and applications. It simplifies access to real-time data without requiring teams to manage underlying infrastructure. Available in Early Access. Streaming Agents: A feature that allows teams to build, deploy, and orchestrate event-driven AI agents directly within Apache Flink. These agents can observe data, make decisions, and take action in real time, enabling automated, intelligent workflows across enterprises. Available in Open Preview. Built-in Machine Learning Functions: Advanced analytics capabilities such as anomaly detection, forecasting, model inference, and real-time visualization are now available via Flink SQL. These tools help data teams extract actionable insights faster and with less complexity. Now generally available on Confluent Cloud. The platform is already being used by forward-thinking organizations. Atilio Ranzuglia, Head of Data and AI at Palmerston North City Council, said Confluent provides the trusted, real-time data stream needed to power AI-driven smart city initiatives. Similarly, Nithin Prasad, Senior Engineering Manager at GEP, highlighted how Confluent’s platform enables real-time AI in procurement and supply chain operations by eliminating data loss risks and ensuring continuous data flow. Confluent is also deepening its collaboration with Anthropic, making Claude—Anthropic’s advanced reasoning model—the default large language model on Streaming Agents. This integration combines Anthropic’s powerful AI reasoning with Confluent’s real-time data foundation, enabling use cases like intelligent anomaly detection, dynamic personalization, and adaptive automation. Despite massive investments—$30 to $40 billion in generative AI—many initiatives fail to deliver value, according to MIT’s 2025 State of AI in Business report. A key reason: the lack of real-time, context-rich data. Confluent Intelligence aims to solve this by offering a single, scalable platform that unifies data streaming, processing, and AI execution. As the demand for intelligent, real-time systems grows, Confluent positions itself as the essential infrastructure for enterprise-grade AI—where data is always in motion and decisions are always informed.