New research indicates employees are setting boundaries on AI agents
Employees across the world are setting workplace boundaries on AI agents amid their widespread implementation across organisations, according to a new report.
Findings from a global poll by Workday found that 82% of organisations are swiftly deploying AI agents, believing they could reduce workloads (88%) and set up the company for financial success (71%).
It found that 75% of employees are comfortable with AI agents working alongside them, but only 30% said they are okay with being managed by these agents.
In fact, only 45% of employees agree that AI agents will become true members of the workforce.
"Employees are already defining clear boundaries about the role of agents," the report said. "They're happy to use them as a tool but don't want them acting as managers or decision-makers."
Trust in AI also depends on the task, according to the report, which found that employees are more likely to trust an AI agent with decisions related to IT infrastructure and technology provisioning.
It also found that there are high expectations of AI agents in terms of workforce management.
According to the report, employees believe AI agent adoption will benefit HR departments when it comes to forecasting and planning as well as the development of workplace policies.
It noted that HR areas that are already highly automated, such as payroll management and compensation administration, are not seen to benefit greatly from AI agents.
"This suggests that respondents may perceive less future impact from new agent capabilities in domains where foundational AI and automation are already well established," the report said.
Respondents also expressed scepticism about the potential of AI agents to significantly enhance recruitment and internal mobility.
"These findings might also reflect continued caution when it comes to involving AI agents in HR tasks that demand personal judgment, such as recruiting, internal movement, compensation strategy, and complex payroll," the report read.
In order to strengthen employees' trust in AI agents, the report suggested implementing training that will empower employees to understand when and how to use AI.
"Our research reveals a clear correlation: exposure to AI agents significantly increases trust," the report said.
"The percentage of people who trust their organisation to use agents responsibly rises significantly with increased adoption maturity."
It also underscored that AI agent implementation should not undermine employee experience by ensuring that these tools are deployed strategically.
"Building trust means being intentional in how AI is used and keeping people at the centre of every decision," said Kathy Pham, vice president, AI, Workday, in a statement.
