Feature
The deployment of artificial intelligence in workplace settings represents a pivotal shift in how organizations approach knowledge work and decision-making.
While traditional automation tools have succeeded at augmenting human capabilities in defined, repetitive tasks, the emergence of more sophisticated AI systems — particularly those exhibiting agentic properties — introduces a fundamentally different dynamic.
Agentic AI Disruption
In a nutshell, agentic AI enables AI systems to autonomously pursue goals and complete complex tasks. Because they are capable of independent goal setting, strategic planning and adaptive behavior, agentic systems blur the conventional boundaries between human and machine in professional environments.
This is driven by the technology’s ability to understand objectives, plan appropriate actions and execute tasks without direct human intervention, ultimately amplifying human productivity and potential, Paloma Ochi, head of product marketing at Glean, told us.
“The integration of agentic AI is reshaping workplace roles by streamlining complex tasks, enabling employees to focus on higher-value, creative and strategic work," she said. "This not only boosts productivity but also fosters growth as employees upskill, with new hires quickly adapting through user-friendly AI and experts transitioning into roles as ‘capability designers.’”
Recently, Salesforce announced the general availability of Agentforce in Slack, a suite of preconfigured autonomous AI agents and tools that enable businesses to build their own. In an emailed interview with Reworked, Archana Kannan, SVP of Slack product at Salesforce, shared insights on this move, which reflects the growing interest in agentic AI in the workplace.
Kannan says agentic AI has revolutionized productivity across industries by helping organizations do more with their existing resources. In the case of Slack's Agentforce, this means providing businesses with "a limitless workforce" that empowers humans to reduce backlogs, enhances decision-making and focuses on strategic work instead of repetitive tasks.
"Digital labor is all about augmenting employees and enabling them to focus on the higher-value work that truly matters," Kannan said, though she acknowledges there’s room for improvement when it comes to AI adoption among desk workers.
Related Article: IT the HR of Agentic AI? Not So Fast
The Impact on Jobs
Employees are uncertain about how to use AI in their roles, and access to AI tools and training remains a significant barrier. According to Slack’s most recent Workforce Index, only 7% of desk workers consider themselves expert AI users, while 30% report having no AI training at all — not even self-directed learning or experimentation.
Agentforce, Kannan says, addresses this gap by democratizing access to AI.
By embedding agents directly into a work operating system like Slack, employees at all technical levels can leverage the power of agentic AI to enhance their work. For example, sales and marketing teams often spend substantial time researching customers, preparing account briefs and hunting for information to keep accounts updated. With Agentforce, these tasks can be streamlined, saving time and improving productivity.
Agentic AI also creates opportunities for upskilling.
As AI agents take over repetitive tasks, employees can concentrate on developing expertise in new and emerging areas, supported by AI as research assistants, brainstorming partners or even career coaches. This collaboration not only fosters skill development but also leads to a more empowered and future-ready workforce.
Still, Kannan notes, though there are immense opportunities with agentic AI, integrating it isn’t without its challenges. Careful planning is essential to ensure its successful and responsible adoption, advancing in areas like transparency, data integrity and trust frameworks to ensure AI systems operate securely and ethically.
“Rather than viewing challenges as barriers, businesses can see them as opportunities to refine their data strategies and reinforce their commitment to equity, security and innovation,” she said. “By proactively addressing these areas, companies can ensure that agentic AI not only performs effectively but also aligns with their values and long-term goals.”
Related Article: Rethink Your HR Strategy to Include AI Agents
Augmenting Workers' Capabilities
Perhaps one of the most appealing part of agentic AI is its impact on productivity.
Assaf Elovic, AI director at Monday.com, says he's seeing a pattern where AI augments rather than replaces human capabilities. For instance, it can handle lead scoring and initial qualification in sales, enabling sales professionals to focus on relationship building and complex negotiations.
Customer support teams are also benefitting, evolving into specialized problem solvers with AI handling routine inquiries while human agents tackle complex escalations, resulting in improved SLAs and CSAT scores. This transition has created new roles such as AI trainers, prompt engineers and AI-human workflow designers.
That said, Elovic acknowledges the numerous challenges involved with the introduction of agents into the digital workplace. Some of those include:
- Technical challenges: There include security concerns, especially regarding data privacy and the risk of AI systems accessing sensitive information, and the "black box" problem, where AI decision-making lacks transparency, making outcomes difficult to audit or explain.
- Ethical challenges: These surround ethical concerns around AI autonomy and determining the appropriate levels of human oversight for decision-making.
- Organizational challenges: Change management requires a balance between automation and human oversight while maintaining employee morale and trust.
To prepare for this, Elovic said, organizations should adopt a proactive, experimentation-based approach to AI integration. The risk of falling behind in AI adoption now outweighs the risks of early implementation. Key preparation strategies include:
- Creating cross-functional AI implementation teams that combine technical expertise with domain knowledge;
- Developing clear governance frameworks for AI deployment while maintaining flexibility for rapid iteration; and
- Investing in employee training programs that focus on AI collaboration skills.
3 Barriers to Agentic AI
Research from PwC shows how effective agentic AI is in increasing productivity. It found Amazon increased sales by 35%, Siemens reduced maintenance costs by 20%, and DHL reduced operational costs by 15% by utilizing agentic AI.
Zack Kass, former head of GTM at OpenAI, says the integration of AI into the workplace has created new avenues for upskilling employees, while simultaneously disrupting traditional job functions, but it also comes with several notable challenges:
- Ethical: A key ethical issue is the potential for misuse, where the term "agentic AI" can be adopted by individuals or organizations to further their own agendas, whether to promote products or generate undue fear.
- Bias: Agentic AI systems often learn from extensive datasets that may contain societal biases, resulting in discriminatory outcomes in vital sectors such as hiring, law enforcement and credit scoring.
- Security: Failures in agentic AI systems could lead to catastrophic consequences, particularly in critical infrastructures. In extreme cases, superintelligent AI might prioritize its own objectives over human welfare, which poses an existential threat.
“The discussion surrounding AI frequently ignites public fear, as many equate with scenarios where it outsmarts humans and makes autonomous decisions,” he said. “While this fear is common, it overshadows the substantial and promising advancements that AI has achieved in practical applications today. To effectively tackle these challenges, it is essential to concentrate on developing specific functionalities related to the performance and modality of AI systems.”
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The Future of Agentic AI
The next generation of agentic AI is poised to redefine productivity, with agents possessing greater contextual awareness and autonomy. These advanced agents will manage multi-step tasks, navigate complex scenarios and proactively offer solutions, Slack's Kannan said.
She believes a significant breakthrough will be their ability to collaborate not only with humans but also with other AI agents. This could lead to autonomous negotiation of deals, optimization of supply chains and seamless coordination of workflows across companies.
However, humans play a crucial role in guiding the evolution of these systems by establishing rules, fostering trust and ensuring meaningful outcomes. The potential is vast: a workplace where technology doesn’t just assist but amplifies human capabilities.