By Stephen DeAngelis
In the opening segment of this article, I discussed how agentic AI is helping to transform business enterprises. In this concluding segment, I will focus on how agentic AI is changing the workplace and the workforce. To understand how agentic AI is the affecting the workforce, one must first understand what AI agents can do. Analysts from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) explain, “AI agents vary in complexity, from simple coding assistants to complex networks that can automate processes that require teams of people today.”[1] Using simple coding as an example, the BCG analysts go on to explain “the different levels of sophistication that can be achieved with various types of intelligent agents.” Those levels are:
Level 1: “At the simplest level, a coding copilot can generate code when prompted by a developer.” Artificial intelligence (AI) expert Andrej Karpathy calls this “vibe coding.” More that subject in a future article.
Level 2. “A more advanced intelligent agent could automatically ingest the existing code base and customize its output appropriately. This agent could even produce output without being asked by automatically producing code that passes a unit test once a developer writes that test.”
Level 3. “Still more advanced AI agents could not only develop code but also compile and run the application in a test environment.”
Level 4. “Future AI agents may take this a step further and deploy tested applications to production environments via automated pipelines upon human approval. This would effectively allow anyone, using plain language, to create and deploy entire applications.”
BCG analysts observe that AI agents are currently being used in marketing, customer service, research & development, and data & technology development — with impressive results. They conclude, “AI agents are gaining traction quickly across an array of business applications — and the market for AI agents is expected to grow at a 45% CAGR over the next five years.”
Changing the Workforce
Analysts from McKinsey & Company believe a hybrid workforce of humans and AI agents is a “surprisingly near-term eventuality.”[2] How near-term? According to business gurus Jen Stave, Ryan Kurt, and John Winsor, the transformation of the workforce has already begun.[3] They also assert that companies need to adapt to these changing circumstances to remain competitive. They suggest seven actions companies can take to guide their adoption of AI agents. Those suggestions are: map work to outcomes to determine the ideal mix of human and AI contributions; build a catalog of AI capabilities linked to key tasks; clarify roles and escalation points in hybrid teams; redesign workforce models to include leasing or outsourcing digital labor; establish legal and ethical guardrails; create feedback loops to refine the AI-human mix; and invest in human skills like creativity, judgment, and relationship-building.
Deloitte’s Tammy Whitehouse observes that the introduction of the hybrid workforce places chief information officers and chief human resources officers “on the front lines of reimagining how work is performed and managed.”[4] She explains, “To help prepare an organization for transformation, leaders should engage employees in the journey, gather input from frontline workers, and pilot new workflows that leverage the complementary capabilities of humans and machines. … [The hybrid workforce] can be an opportunity to create more agile, resilient, and innovative organizations. By working in tandem, CIOs and CHROs can equip the workforce of the future to thrive alongside intelligent machines, unlocking new levels of productivity and value for the business.”
Transforming the workforce won’t be easy. McKinsey analysts Bob Sternfels and Yuval Atsmon explain, “Everyone knows how difficult it is to change established work habits and learn new tools. The middle layer of most organizations — the managers and senior practitioners who set the cultural tone — is often the most resistant to change because of rational self-interest. They’re busy, their current methods work reasonably well, and the learning curve for new technologies can feel daunting.”[5] With the workforce in flux, they also know that overcoming resistance to change is crucial. They write, “Both financial and social incentives are essential to encourage meaningful adoption. But the most effective rewards focus on learning rather than just usage. Instead of offering bonuses for implementing AI, successful organizations reward employees for demonstrating new competencies, sharing insights with colleagues, and helping others navigate the learning curve. Social recognition often proves more powerful than financial rewards do.”
The Future of Jobs
Journalist Ethan Gudge reports, “The impact of artificial intelligence on the workplace is both game-changing and overwhelming.”[6] That was the conclusion of study commissioned by Henley Business School. The study “found that 56% of full-time professionals were optimistic about AI advancements, while 61% said they were overwhelmed by the speed at which the technology developed.” Professor Keiichi Nakata, from Henley Business School, told Gudge that the study showed many workers “don't feel equipped” to use AI. And, as Sternfels and Atsmon, explained, that can lead to resistance.
To address worker feelings of inadequacy, Sternfels and Atsmon suggest that business enterprises become “learning organizations.” They explain, “When respected team leaders share their AI learning journeys and publicly acknowledge that they’re still learning, it reduces the psychological barriers for everyone else.” Nakata adds, “"Without in-house training, hands-on learning, and clear policies, we risk creating a workforce that's willing to use AI but is not sure where to start." That’s not a good position for any company to be in. Journalist Callum Borchers explains, “We’re past the point of imagining how artificial intelligence could help us work more efficiently.”[7] He reports that a survey conducted by SAP “ found that workers using AI save almost an hour a day on average.” Often that means workers are loaded with more work, not less. It’s a challenge that employers are eventually going to face.
The biggest challenge, however, is coming to grips with the future of work itself. Workers are understandably concerned about the future of the workplace. Jorge Amar, a senior McKinsey partner, predicts that once AI agents are able to decide what to do on their own entire workforces could be at risk. He states, “We start to get into this complete AI workforce. Your AI agents could now be the evolution and the creation of a digital replica of the entire workforce of an organization.”[8]
Journalists Lindsay Ellis and Katherine Bindley report that recent college graduates are already confronting a future in which they are competing with AI agents. They write, “What do you hire a 22-year-old college graduate for these days? For a growing number of bosses, the answer is not much — AI can do the work instead. … After dancing around the issue in the 2½ years since ChatGPT’s release upended the way almost all companies plan for their futures, CEOs are now talking openly about AI’s immense capabilities likely leading to deep job cuts.”[8] Although I believe that AI will eventually be a job creator, the short-term pain for job seekers could be significant.
Concluding Thoughts
According to Misha Porwal, a marketing strategist at AgilePoint, “Agentic AI represents a fundamental shift in how enterprises can leverage artificial intelligence, moving from AI as a tool that assists human decision-making to AI as an autonomous capability that drives business operations. This transition offers unprecedented opportunities for operational efficiency, competitive advantage, and business innovation. However, realizing these benefits requires more than simply deploying new AI models. It demands a comprehensive approach that addresses architectural foundations, governance frameworks, and organizational change management. Organizations that invest in building the right foundation today will be positioned to capture the full potential of agentic AI as it continues to evolve.” Part of building that foundation is ensuring that human employees know how to work effectively with AI agents. Porwal concludes, “The opportunity is enormous, but it requires thinking beyond traditional approaches to embrace new paradigms for enterprise operations. The question for enterprise leaders isn’t whether agentic AI will transform business operations — it’s whether their organizations will be ready to harness this transformation or be disrupted by competitors who are.”
Footnotes
[1] Staff, “AI Agents,” Boston Consulting Group.
[2] Staff, “The future of work is agentic,” McKinsey & Company, 3 June 2025.
[3] Jen Stave, Ryan Kurt and John Winsor, “Agentic AI Is Already Changing the Workforce,” Harvard Business Review, 22 May 2025.
[4] Tammy Whitehouse, “AI Robots in the Workplace: Preparing for Humanoid Colleagues,” The Wall Street Journal, 25 July 2025.
[5] Bob Sternfels and Yuval Atsmon, “The learning organization: How to accelerate AI adoption,” McKinsey & Company, 9 July 2025.
[6] Ethan Gudge, “Workers optimistic but overwhelmed by AI – study,” BBC News, 19 May 2025
[7] Callum Borchers, “Your Prize for Saving Time at Work With AI: More Work,” The Wall Street Journal, 9 July 2025.
[8] McKinsey staff, op. cit.
[9] Lindsay Ellis and Katherine Bindley, “AI Is Wrecking an Already Fragile Job Market for College Graduates,” The Wall Street Journal, 29 July 2025.
