Post by Nadine Soyez

 

In Part 1 of RAISE summit newsletter series, I explored why agentic AI is no longer a future trend and what companies should do now to prepare. This time, I’m focusing on a major shift discussed at the conference: rethinking work and how we will collaborate in the future with agentic AI.

 

Work Will Never Be the Same Again

 

The way we work today was designed for the tools of the past. But AI introduces a new paradigm: rather than people adapting to rigid systems, tools are beginning to adapt to people. The future of work will be shaped by autonomous agents designed specifically for individual workflows. These agents won’t simply follow instructions – they will take initiative, interact with data, and make independent decisions.

And thanks to the growing availability of no-code platforms, creating these agents will no longer be the sole domain of software engineers. Everyone will be able to build them.

 

•  A marketer could build an agent that tests ad creatives in real time.
• A sales professional could deploy an agent that analyzes CRM data, identifies the most promising leads, and drafts personalized outreach messages.
•  A project manager could create an agent that monitors project risks and flags delays early.

 

According to recent study by Capgemini AI agents are expected to be involved in most business tasks within three years, with effective human-agent collaboration projected to increase human engagement in high-value tasks by 65%. 70% of companies believe that AI agents will require major changes to how they are organised. Successful businesses will create new roles, team structures, and leadership models based on close collaboration between humans and AI. You can read the study here.

New roles like „Agent Designer“, „Agent Supervisor“,or „Agent Product Owner“ are already emerging alongside traditional ones, combining domain expertise with a sound understanding of AI capabilities. To make this future a reality, organisations must understand how work actually happens – not just how it’s described in process documentation or standard operating procedures. It starts with observing real behaviours, mapping out workflows, and identifying where value is created and where it’s lost.

Understanding how people currently work provides a helpful baseline, but it reflects past constraints. Don’t confuse current practices with best practices. Use today’s behaviours as a data set, don‘t  see it as a blueprint. True transformation means doing things differently, not just digitising the status quo.

 

 

The Human-AI-Collaboration becomes a Success Factor for Companies

 

One of the key ideas from the RAISE Summit was that we are moving from purely human collaboration to hybrid teams made up of people and AI agents. The Capgemini study mentioned above also says that within the next 1-2 years over 60% of organisations expect to form human-agent teams where AI agents function as subordinates or enhance human capabilities. These agents are not just tools, they are evolving into virtual collaborators. The most effective ones will be able to operate autonomously within clear boundaries, suggest improvements, and work across multiple systems, teams, and data sources.

However, this only works when humans remain central to the process. While agents can analyse information and take action, they still rely on human judgement, ethical direction, and structured feedback. This shift is not about replacing people. It means expanding the team’s capabilities and the team itself with virtual colleagues. Human involvement remains crucial, especially in shaping how these systems operate. People have tob e involved in designing the right AI environments, because they understand how the processes should work and what to improve.

The organisations that succeed won’t necessarily be those that automate the most. They’ll be the ones that integrate AI as a trustworthy and capable teammate. This will require more than technical know-how. It demands a culture of experimentation, cross-functional learning, and shared responsibility between people and machines.

This evolution will also require stronger collaboration skills and critical thinking. Professionals will need to learn how to work alongside AI agents, give them feedback, and understand both the capabilities and limits of these systems. According to Gartner, agentic AI will be responsible for automating at least 15% of all decisions in the workplace by 2028. That prediction isn’t just a forecast – it’s a wake-up call.

We are already seeing a shift towards more supervisory and guiding roles. Employees are becoming AI supervisors or co-creators – directing agents, reviewing outcomes, and overseeing their continuous development.

 

 

AI is About Reinvention – Not Just Optimisation

 

Too many organisations are still asking the wrong question:

“Where can we automate?”

A better question is:

“Where are we stuck and why?”

AI is most powerful when it solves root problems, not surface-level inefficiencies. That means looking at the friction points in your day-to-day work:

• Where are repetitive approvals?
• Where is Data scattered across silos?
• Where are Manual handovers between teams?

 

There are lying the opportunities. With the right agentic AI setup, they can become engines of innovation.

Innovation starts when we challenge assumptions.

Ask “why” more often. Why is this slow? Why does it require three meetings? Why does this tool even exist?AI enables us to rethink work from first principles and design more intelligent systems from the ground up.

 

 

What This Means for Leaders

 

Imagine this from a leadership perspective: in the near future, you won’t just manage teams of people, you’ll also oversee a growing ecosystem of AI agents.

This represents a fundamental shift in leadership. Leaders will need to become fluent not only in motivating and guiding human talent, but also in orchestrating human–machine collaboration. That includes setting the right goals for AI agents, understanding how they make decisions, interpreting their outputs, and creating the organisational conditions for safe and effective deployment.

The ability to build trust – both in people and in technology – will become a core leadership skill. Forward-thinking leaders will focus less on controlling tasks and more on enabling adaptability, learning, and responsible experimentation.

 

How are you approaching the reinvention of work within your organisation?

Let’s rethink what’s possible – together.