Only 16% of HR leaders say they completely trust AI agents to reliably complete repetitive tasks
Canadian business leaders had better step up if they hope to reap the benefits of agentic AI.
That’s because 21% of HR professionals report that AI agents are already being used today, and 78% expect their organisation to use at least one AI agent by the end of 2026, according to a report from People Managing People.
A further 65% say their organisation has evaluated or discussed the technology.
Among workers, 78% say they have heard the term AI agent used in a workplace context and 58% say their employer has already mentioned or announced plans to introduce AI agents. Three-quarters (75%) of workers believe AI agents are already in use or likely to be introduced within the next 12 months.
People Managing People concludes that AI agent adoption “is no longer speculative” and is already being “discussed, tested, and, in some cases, deployed—often faster than organizations have prepared their people and systems to support it.”
“Agents” is “the next level of maturation or evolution of the digital assistants,” Keith Bigelow, chief product officer at Visier, previously told Canadian HR Reporter. And More than 9 in 10 (91%) Canadian employers are taking steps toward this shift.
Sentiment about Agentic AI
Worker sentiment toward AI is largely favourable, according to the People Managing People report based on two surveys conducted in December 2025 — one of 1,000 employed workers and another of 379 HR professionals. Six in 10 (60%) workers feel positive about AI in the workplace, compared with 13% who feel negative.
The report finds that 74% would trust properly implemented AI agents to handle repetitive administrative tasks, and 76% would trust AI agents to manage routine workflows such as scheduling or generating reports.
Meanwhile, HR leaders report a more cautious stance. While 61% of HR professionals say leadership is positive toward using AI agents, only 16% say they completely trust AI agents to reliably complete repetitive tasks. Nearly 30% say they trust AI agents only a little or not at all.
“What we’re seeing is a moment of AI limbo,” says David Rice, editorial director at People Managing People, in the report. “Employees are largely open to AI agents and see real potential in how they can support everyday work, but many organizations have not yet put the training, governance, or communication in place to make that adoption feel safe or effective. The gap isn’t about resistance. It’s about readiness, and leaders who focus on enablement over speed will be better positioned as AI agents become part of daily work.”
Training, governance identified as weak spots
Training emerges as one of the clearest constraints on readiness in the People Managing People analysis. From the worker perspective, only 36% say their employer has provided training on how to work effectively with AI agents. Forty‑four per cent say they have received no training at all, while 20% say training is currently in progress.
HR respondents confirm that formal enablement has yet to catch up with interest. Eighteen per cent of HR professionals say formal AI agent training has been delivered, 29% say training is still in development and another 29% say no training has been provided. Overall, HR professionals believe 42% of employees are minimally prepared or not prepared at all to work with AI agents.
Governance and communication are also uneven. Among workers, 51% believe AI agents should be primarily managed by IT, while only 9% believe individual employees should manage AI agents. HR professionals describe a fragmented picture: 34% say AI agent oversight is shared between HR and IT, 18% say HR is responsible, 13% say IT alone is responsible and 16% say no one is responsible yet.
Communication gaps persist despite internal discussion. While 73% of HR professionals say leadership has discussed, evaluated or announced AI agent adoption, 42% of workers say their employer has not mentioned AI agents at all.
“AI agents aren’t a magic upgrade you flip on and walk away from,” says Tim Fisher, VP of AI at People Managing People. “When organizations rush adoption without clear ownership, training, and guardrails, they end up in AI Limbo. The teams that will win are the ones treating AI like a system change, not a shortcut. That means setting expectations, measuring outcomes, and keeping humans firmly in the loop.”
Nearly 6 in 10 (59%) of Canadian hiring managers admit their companies lack the resources or training needed to help employees use AI effectively, according to a previous report.
The role of agentic AI
Despite differing levels of trust and preparedness, the People Managing People report finds broad agreement on how AI agents should be used.
On the worker side, 57% believe AI agents will be most effective in analytical work, 52% see them as useful for administrative work and 42% cite technical or operational work. Only 26% believe AI agents should handle managerial or leadership tasks.
HR expectations are similar. Forty‑eight per cent of HR professionals expect AI agents to support customer service tasks, 48% expect them to handle administrative work and 42% expect them to support analytical work, while just 12% expect AI agents to be involved in leadership decision‑making.
Safeguards are widely seen as necessary. Among workers, 58% say training would make AI agents feel safer and more productive, 52% want transparency about how AI agents make decisions and 48% want human oversight on all AI agent actions. On the employer side, 61% of HR professionals say their organisation will provide training, 53% say human oversight will be required and 40% say formal usage guidelines will be created.
Dan Schawbel, managing partner at Workplace Intelligence, previously noted in an article posted on LinkedIn that employers are showing enthusiasm towards agentic AI, but there is a “lack of awareness” on the side of workers about how digital labour will impact their roles.
“To overcome this, HR departments must take an active role in educating and engaging employees about the value of agentic AI. Clear communication, ongoing learning opportunities, and visible leadership support will be essential in aligning the workforce with the vision for a hybrid human-agent workplace,” he says.
“In this new model, transparency is key. Employees should not only know how agentic AI will affect their day-to-day work but also understand the benefits — from faster support to more fulfilling roles. HR plays a critical role in managing this transition with empathy and clarity.”
