Workday explores employee attitudes towards AI agents

Workday on Tuesday released new research that reveals that, despite the fact AI agents are gaining ground in the workplace, employees are still looking for what the company described as “clear boundaries.”

A spokesperson said, “we wanted to cut through the hype to understand what people really think about AI agents in the workplace and their implications for the future of work.”

This, they said, “led Workday to commission a global survey to explore the potential for agents to take on more complex roles, such as managers. We suspected there would be interesting differences in people’s willingness to embrace AI across generations and organizational roles, and found that to be true.”

The report, AI Agents Are Here — But Don’t Call Them Boss, shows that three-quarters of respondents have no problem teaming up with AI agents, but only 30% were willing to be managed by one.

Optimism about the impact of agentic AI in the workplace, it stated, is “high. In fact, 63% [of respondents] are more interested in working for companies that invest in AI agents, giving AI-forward organizations a competitive edge. For Gen Z, that figure rises to 70%, suggesting agent adoption will be a key factor in attracting young talent.”

Expectations are high

Despite that, the report stated that only 24% of respondents are comfortable with AI agents operating in the background without human knowledge. “Establishing clear boundaries for AI is key to building employee trust and driving greater adoption,” it said.

Other key findings revealed that:

While upwards of one-quarter of respondents still believe agents are overhyped, the study noted, “trust in agents rises dramatically with increased use. For instance, only 36% of those exploring AI agents trust their organization to use them responsibly, but that number jumps to 95% among those further along. Direct experience with AI agents builds confidence.”

The key barriers to adoption revolve around ethics and governance issues that include bias, data privacy, and legal challenges (44%) and security and privacy (39%).

Expected benefits include improved employee growth and development (85%), work-life balance (80%) and job satisfaction (79%).

Respondent expectations are high, with 68% deploying AI agents “driven by a belief in reduced workloads (88%), faster innovation (82%), and financial success. (71%).”

Asked by Computerworld what Workday felt were the most surprising results, the spokesperson said there were two: a willingness to be managed by AI, and desire for AI boundaries.

“A significant finding was that 30% of people were okay with being managed by an AI agent. While most people would prefer a human manager, this still represents a large portion of the workforce which, in some scenarios, might prefer a machine over a human manager.”

Additionally, they said, “the study found that people want boundaries and safeguards for AI tools in the workplace. While people initially say they want to use the tools freely, their responses revealed that they feel more comfortable and optimistic about using AI when they know their organization has set up clear guardrails.”

Furthermore, the press release noted, “this research underscores a crucial path forward: to harness the potential of AI, organizations must focus on building trust through transparency and empowering their people. This isn’t just about deploying new technology. It’s about thoughtfully designing a future where AI agents enhance human capabilities, enabling a more productive and fulfilling work experience for all.”

Optimism ‘forged through clear boundaries’

In the study, Kathy Pham, vice president of AI at Workday, wrote, “optimism in agentic AI is forged through clear boundaries.”

These boundaries, she pointed out, “are defined by our choices, are essential for purposeful and responsible deployments, freeing us to explore AI’s full potential without fear of misuse. Leaders must prioritize training that empowers employees to understand when and how to use AI, while technology providers build these boundaries directly into their solutions, giving customers the confidence to innovate, especially in high-stakes areas like HR and finance.”

The release noted that finance professionals in particular see big potential in agentic AI: “With the industry facing a shortage of CPAs and finance professionals, more than three-quarters (76%) of finance workers believe AI agents will help close the gap and only 12% are worried about job loss. The top uses for AI agents in finance include forecasting and budgeting (32%), financial reporting (32%), and fraud detection (30%).”

The report was based on a survey conducted in May and June of this year among 2,950 full-time decision-makers and software implementation leaders across North America, Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), and Asia-Pacific (APAC).Workday explores employee attitudes towards AI agents – ComputerworldRead More