June 11, 2025 • 12 mins
AI agents are autonomous software programs that can perceive their environment and make decisions, and they are reshaping the work landscape. In this episode of Work Week, Dr. Kelly Monahan explores a bold new vision of work, where AI agents operate alongside humans—and every employee becomes an “agent boss.” Drawing on insights from Microsoft and Upwork’s Future Workforce Index, we break down what it means to lead in the age of AI, why uniquely human skills are more valuable than ever, and how organizations can rethink structure, culture, and strategy to stay competitive. Whether you're a business decision maker or an independent professional, this episode will equip you to navigate—and shape—the AI-powered workplace of tomorrow.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:03):
- Hello and welcome to "Work Week,"
the podcast where we answerone pressing question
about the future of work,
discuss timely research about the trend,
and explain what it all means for you.
I'm Dr. Kelly Monahan,
managing director of theUpwork Research Institute,
and as always, what you're hearing
is a digital proxy of my voicethat was created by our team
with the help of AI.
(00:26):
Amid widespread adoption
and rapid advancement ofartificial intelligence,
we're in the middle ofa workplace revolution,
one that some are calling
the most significantshift in knowledge work
since the advent of the internet,
which leads us to thisweek's driving question.
How can business leaders andknowledge workers prepare
for a future in which AI agents
(00:46):
become part of everyteam, role, and decision?
In addition to releasing our own research,
my team at the Upwork Research Institute
is always keeping a pulse onthe latest third-party data
related to the future of work.
My inspiration for this episode
was a recent report from Microsoft,
the 2025 annual Work Trend Index,
(01:08):
which featured insights from31,000 full-time employed
or self-employed knowledge workers.
According to the survey, 82%of global business leaders say
that 2025 is a pivotal year
to rethink core aspects ofstrategy and operations.
Why?
Because we've enteredwhat Microsoft is calling
(01:29):
a new reality, intelligence on tap,
that is being drivenby widespread adoption
and availability of AI.
Organizations are no longertalking about AI as nice to have
or as a side project.
AI is a central lever
for performance, innovation, and growth.
But what makes thismoment especially critical
(01:50):
is that it's not only about adding tools
to existing workflows.
It's also about rethinking the very DNA
of how organizations aredesigned and how work gets done.
Let's unpack what the data says
and why this shift requires each of us
to become what Microsoftcalls an agent boss.
As the world of work
(02:11):
as well as businessneeds continue to evolve,
many organizations arefacing a similar challenge.
The gap is growing betweenwhat businesses need
and what people can realistically deliver.
In Microsoft's survey, 80%of the workers who responded
report lacking the timeor energy to do their job,
(02:32):
even as 53% of leaders sayproductivity must increase.
And closing that gap isn't about squeezing
more out of people.
As we discussed inepisode 12 of "Work Week"
titled "What Are Mini-Retirements
and Can They Help Employee Burnout?"
Upwork research conducted in 2024 found
that 65% of full-time employeessaid they were struggling
(02:54):
with employer demandson their productivity.
The same survey found that81% of global C-suite leaders
acknowledge they haveincreased demands on workers
in the past year.
Rather than requiring workersto spread themselves too thin
and risk burnout,
businesses can close this gap
by augmenting people with AI,
expanding teams not onlyby hiring more humans,
(03:16):
but also by adding digital labor.
In fact, the Microsoft research found
that 82% of leaders expectto expand their workforce
using AI agents in thenext 12 to 18 months.
Rather than replacing human workers,
these AI agents will augment people
and free up workers from routine tasks,
(03:36):
empowering teams to work morestrategically and creatively.
In most companies today,
the organizational chart looks the same
as it did decades ago:
static, hierarchical,and functionally siloed.
Instead of fixed hierarchies,
forward-thinking organizationalcharts are more dynamic.
They flex based on outcomes,
(03:57):
drawing on the right mix ofhuman skills and AI agents
to get the job done.
According to the Microsoft report,
46% of business leaderssay their organization
is already using AI agents
to fully automate workflows or processes,
and the top three functionsreceiving the most investment:
customer service, marketing,and product development.
(04:20):
This shift raises a criticalquestion for every leader.
What's the right human-to-agent ratio?
Should you have one AI agent
for every customer service representative,
every account manager, every analyst?
There's no universally correct answer.
This is a task-specific,outcome-driven design challenge.
(04:41):
When considering how to use AIagents at your organization,
you need to ask questions such as,
where do humans outperform AI?
Where is AI more reliable,faster, or more scalable?
When do customers demand a human touch?
When does society require accountability
that only people can provide?
(05:01):
The organizations that get the balance
between humans and AI agents right
will redefine performancein the years ahead.
But to do that, everyworker, not only leaders,
needs to learn how to manage AI agents.
When we talk about the AItransformation of work,
there's a common misconception
that AI will be managed by IT departments
(05:22):
or implemented for frontline employees,
but the reality is morenuanced and more exciting.
Data shows that whatis emerging is a future
in which every worker is responsible
for one or more AI agent.
Workers in nearly every sector and role
will need to know howto deploy, delegate to,
and refine AI agents toachieve better results.
(05:45):
This isn't about everyemployee becoming a coder
or a data scientist.
It's about industriesrethinking the relationship
between their workforce and productivity.
Instead of doing everything themselves,
workers will orchestrate a combination
of human and digital effort.
They'll need to identify the best-fit task
(06:05):
for an AI to take on,
setting that AI up for success,
and critically reviewing its output,
and they'll also need toknow where to draw the line
and do the work themselves.
But here's the catch.
While technical skills aremore important than ever,
being an agent boss also requiresa uniquely human skillset.
(06:26):
According to our Future Workforce Index,
the real differentiatorsin an AI-enabled workplace
won't be technical know-how.
In fact, the most valuableskills in this new era
are deeply, fundamentally human,
the competencies AI can't replicate.
We're talking about skills suchas creative problem-solving,
(06:46):
adaptability, clear communication,and critical thinking.
Interestingly, the FutureWorkforce Index shows
that skilled freelancers
who already operate in dynamic,tech-enabled environments
outpace full-time employees
across nearly every one ofthese human-centric skills.
These are the capabilities
(07:07):
that will make or break successin an AI-first workplace,
which requires both using AI tools
and also making sure they deliver value.
So what does this meanfor workforce development
at your organization?
It means instead of beingintimidated by or resisting AI,
leaders should think ofand encourage workers
to think of AI as an exciting opportunity,
(07:30):
and it means that it's time toat least start experimenting.
Ask workers to apply theiruniquely human skills,
such as judgment, empathy, and creativity,
to elevate what AI toolscan do on their own.
In this sense, becoming an agent boss
isn't about replacing roles.
It's about expanding the potential
(07:51):
of the individuals in your workforce
as well as the potential of your business.
As a leader, your job isn'tto simply train your teams
to prompt a model or use a new dashboard.
It's to help them growinto this hybrid role.
Part subject matterexpert, part team leader,
part digital conductor.
Here's something I want youto sit with for a moment.
(08:12):
In every major technological shift
from the steam engine to the internet,
the biggest changesaren't just technological.
They're behavioral and organizational.
That's where we are with AI.
Yes, the tech is improving rapidly,
but the deeper shift is happening
inside organizations, inside teams,
and inside the mindsetof individual workers,
(08:36):
and those who adapt first,not just to the tools,
but to the way work is changing,
will have a serious advantage.
We're already seeingthat advantage play out
in the talent market.
While headlines often focus on layoffs
or automation risks,
I see a different story,
one of reinvention and rapid opportunity.
(08:56):
Top talent is flowing toward companies
that treat AI not as athreat, but as a partner.
Freelancers and independent professionals
are often early adopters of new tools.
Our Future WorkforceIndex research also found
that 54% of skilled freelancers
report advanced or expert level skill
in using AI tools for work
(09:16):
compared to 38% of skilledfull-time employees.
They're running agent-poweredsolo businesses,
automating client onboarding,streamlining research,
and accelerating project delivery.
And it's not just the tools they're using.
It's the mindset they bring.
As the Future Workforce Index shows,
freelancers consistently report
(09:36):
stronger collaborative skills
than their full-time counterparts.
But these skills do more
than help freelancers work with teams.
They are also critical
to effectively collaboratingwith AI agents.
That means companies lookingto gain a competitive advantage
by building agent-poweredteams would benefit
from engaging freelancers
(09:57):
who have already embracedthis way of working.
Now, let's talk about culture,
because here's where manycompanies miss the mark.
If you're layering AI on topof rigid, outdated processes,
you're not transforming.
You're digitizing dysfunction.
True transformation meansrethinking how teams form,
how decisions are made,
(10:18):
and how performance is measured.
It means creating a culture of learning
in which people have roomto experiment with AI
and not punishing early failures.
It means shifting from outputmetrics to outcome metrics
where success is defined byvalue created, not hours logged,
and it means building a culture
(10:38):
in which human and digital labor
are both seen asessential, not competitive.
This cultural shift is going to be harder
than downloading a tool,
but it's also likely amongthe most important work
you'll do as a leaderover the next five years,
because AI shouldn't replaceemployees or companies,
but companies that fail to integrate AI
(10:58):
and empower their people to lead it
might find themselves replaced.
As we do on every episode of "Work Week,"
I want to wrap up with an action item
and a reflection questionbased on this week's topic.
For our action for leaders, start small.
Choose one key workflowor business process,
(11:18):
whether it's client onboarding,performance reporting,
or social media content creation.
Map out the workflow in detail.
Then ask, which parts of thisprocess could be handed off
to an AI agent?
What should remainsquarely in human hands?
Finally, identify any gapsin your team's readiness
to make that collaboration successful
(11:39):
and make a plan to close them.
If you're an independentprofessional or employee,
think about your list of tasks or skills
for a given project.
Which tasks should youcontinue to handle on your own
versus delegating an AI agent?
And how can you use youruniquely human skills,
such as collaborationand critical thinking,
(12:01):
to successfullycollaborate with AI agents?
And for this week's reflectionquestion, ask yourself,
if AI agents joined your team tomorrow,
would you be prepared to lead them?
Would your team be readyto collaborate with them?
Take a moment to reflect on how your role,
your skillset, your mindset,
and your company culturewould need to evolve
(12:22):
to not just survive, but thrivein the age of agent bosses.
That's all we have for thisepisode of "Work Week."
I'm Kelly Monahan,
and this week we ask the question,
is your workforce preparedto manage AI agents?
Thank you for listening.
If you found this episode informative,
please share with a colleague or friend,
(12:43):
and don't forget to subscribe
for weekly data-backedinsights on the future of work.
- Hello and welcome to "Work Week,"
the podcast where we answerone pressing question
about the future of work,
discuss timely research about the trend,
and explain what it all means for you.
I'm Dr. Kelly Monahan,
managing director of theUpwork Research Institute,
and as always, what you're hearing
is a digital proxy of my voicethat was created by our team
with the help of AI.
(00:26):
Amid widespread adoption
and rapid advancement ofartificial intelligence,
we're in the middle ofa workplace revolution,
one that some are calling
the most significantshift in knowledge work
since the advent of the internet,
which leads us to thisweek's driving question.
How can business leaders andknowledge workers prepare
for a future in which AI agents
(00:46):
become part of everyteam, role, and decision?
In addition to releasing our own research,
my team at the Upwork Research Institute
is always keeping a pulse onthe latest third-party data
related to the future of work.
My inspiration for this episode
was a recent report from Microsoft,
the 2025 annual Work Trend Index,
(01:08):
which featured insights from31,000 full-time employed
or self-employed knowledge workers.
According to the survey, 82%of global business leaders say
that 2025 is a pivotal year
to rethink core aspects ofstrategy and operations.
Why?
Because we've enteredwhat Microsoft is calling
(01:29):
a new reality, intelligence on tap,
that is being drivenby widespread adoption
and availability of AI.
Organizations are no longertalking about AI as nice to have
or as a side project.
AI is a central lever
for performance, innovation, and growth.
But what makes thismoment especially critical
(01:50):
is that it's not only about adding tools
to existing workflows.
It's also about rethinking the very DNA
of how organizations aredesigned and how work gets done.
Let's unpack what the data says
and why this shift requires each of us
to become what Microsoftcalls an agent boss.
As the world of work
(02:11):
as well as businessneeds continue to evolve,
many organizations arefacing a similar challenge.
The gap is growing betweenwhat businesses need
and what people can realistically deliver.
In Microsoft's survey, 80%of the workers who responded
report lacking the timeor energy to do their job,
(02:32):
even as 53% of leaders sayproductivity must increase.
And closing that gap isn't about squeezing
more out of people.
As we discussed inepisode 12 of "Work Week"
titled "What Are Mini-Retirements
and Can They Help Employee Burnout?"
Upwork research conducted in 2024 found
that 65% of full-time employeessaid they were struggling
(02:54):
with employer demandson their productivity.
The same survey found that81% of global C-suite leaders
acknowledge they haveincreased demands on workers
in the past year.
Rather than requiring workersto spread themselves too thin
and risk burnout,
businesses can close this gap
by augmenting people with AI,
expanding teams not onlyby hiring more humans,
(03:16):
but also by adding digital labor.
In fact, the Microsoft research found
that 82% of leaders expectto expand their workforce
using AI agents in thenext 12 to 18 months.
Rather than replacing human workers,
these AI agents will augment people
and free up workers from routine tasks,
(03:36):
empowering teams to work morestrategically and creatively.
In most companies today,
the organizational chart looks the same
as it did decades ago:
static, hierarchical,and functionally siloed.
Instead of fixed hierarchies,
forward-thinking organizationalcharts are more dynamic.
They flex based on outcomes,
(03:57):
drawing on the right mix ofhuman skills and AI agents
to get the job done.
According to the Microsoft report,
46% of business leaderssay their organization
is already using AI agents
to fully automate workflows or processes,
and the top three functionsreceiving the most investment:
customer service, marketing,and product development.
(04:20):
This shift raises a criticalquestion for every leader.
What's the right human-to-agent ratio?
Should you have one AI agent
for every customer service representative,
every account manager, every analyst?
There's no universally correct answer.
This is a task-specific,outcome-driven design challenge.
(04:41):
When considering how to use AIagents at your organization,
you need to ask questions such as,
where do humans outperform AI?
Where is AI more reliable,faster, or more scalable?
When do customers demand a human touch?
When does society require accountability
that only people can provide?
(05:01):
The organizations that get the balance
between humans and AI agents right
will redefine performancein the years ahead.
But to do that, everyworker, not only leaders,
needs to learn how to manage AI agents.
When we talk about the AItransformation of work,
there's a common misconception
that AI will be managed by IT departments
(05:22):
or implemented for frontline employees,
but the reality is morenuanced and more exciting.
Data shows that whatis emerging is a future
in which every worker is responsible
for one or more AI agent.
Workers in nearly every sector and role
will need to know howto deploy, delegate to,
and refine AI agents toachieve better results.
(05:45):
This isn't about everyemployee becoming a coder
or a data scientist.
It's about industriesrethinking the relationship
between their workforce and productivity.
Instead of doing everything themselves,
workers will orchestrate a combination
of human and digital effort.
They'll need to identify the best-fit task
(06:05):
for an AI to take on,
setting that AI up for success,
and critically reviewing its output,
and they'll also need toknow where to draw the line
and do the work themselves.
But here's the catch.
While technical skills aremore important than ever,
being an agent boss also requiresa uniquely human skillset.
(06:26):
According to our Future Workforce Index,
the real differentiatorsin an AI-enabled workplace
won't be technical know-how.
In fact, the most valuableskills in this new era
are deeply, fundamentally human,
the competencies AI can't replicate.
We're talking about skills suchas creative problem-solving,
(06:46):
adaptability, clear communication,and critical thinking.
Interestingly, the FutureWorkforce Index shows
that skilled freelancers
who already operate in dynamic,tech-enabled environments
outpace full-time employees
across nearly every one ofthese human-centric skills.
These are the capabilities
(07:07):
that will make or break successin an AI-first workplace,
which requires both using AI tools
and also making sure they deliver value.
So what does this meanfor workforce development
at your organization?
It means instead of beingintimidated by or resisting AI,
leaders should think ofand encourage workers
to think of AI as an exciting opportunity,
(07:30):
and it means that it's time toat least start experimenting.
Ask workers to apply theiruniquely human skills,
such as judgment, empathy, and creativity,
to elevate what AI toolscan do on their own.
In this sense, becoming an agent boss
isn't about replacing roles.
It's about expanding the potential
(07:51):
of the individuals in your workforce
as well as the potential of your business.
As a leader, your job isn'tto simply train your teams
to prompt a model or use a new dashboard.
It's to help them growinto this hybrid role.
Part subject matterexpert, part team leader,
part digital conductor.
Here's something I want youto sit with for a moment.
(08:12):
In every major technological shift
from the steam engine to the internet,
the biggest changesaren't just technological.
They're behavioral and organizational.
That's where we are with AI.
Yes, the tech is improving rapidly,
but the deeper shift is happening
inside organizations, inside teams,
and inside the mindsetof individual workers,
(08:36):
and those who adapt first,not just to the tools,
but to the way work is changing,
will have a serious advantage.
We're already seeingthat advantage play out
in the talent market.
While headlines often focus on layoffs
or automation risks,
I see a different story,
one of reinvention and rapid opportunity.
(08:56):
Top talent is flowing toward companies
that treat AI not as athreat, but as a partner.
Freelancers and independent professionals
are often early adopters of new tools.
Our Future WorkforceIndex research also found
that 54% of skilled freelancers
report advanced or expert level skill
in using AI tools for work
(09:16):
compared to 38% of skilledfull-time employees.
They're running agent-poweredsolo businesses,
automating client onboarding,streamlining research,
and accelerating project delivery.
And it's not just the tools they're using.
It's the mindset they bring.
As the Future Workforce Index shows,
freelancers consistently report
(09:36):
stronger collaborative skills
than their full-time counterparts.
But these skills do more
than help freelancers work with teams.
They are also critical
to effectively collaboratingwith AI agents.
That means companies lookingto gain a competitive advantage
by building agent-poweredteams would benefit
from engaging freelancers
(09:57):
who have already embracedthis way of working.
Now, let's talk about culture,
because here's where manycompanies miss the mark.
If you're layering AI on topof rigid, outdated processes,
you're not transforming.
You're digitizing dysfunction.
True transformation meansrethinking how teams form,
how decisions are made,
(10:18):
and how performance is measured.
It means creating a culture of learning
in which people have roomto experiment with AI
and not punishing early failures.
It means shifting from outputmetrics to outcome metrics
where success is defined byvalue created, not hours logged,
and it means building a culture
(10:38):
in which human and digital labor
are both seen asessential, not competitive.
This cultural shift is going to be harder
than downloading a tool,
but it's also likely amongthe most important work
you'll do as a leaderover the next five years,
because AI shouldn't replaceemployees or companies,
but companies that fail to integrate AI
(10:58):
and empower their people to lead it
might find themselves replaced.
As we do on every episode of "Work Week,"
I want to wrap up with an action item
and a reflection questionbased on this week's topic.
For our action for leaders, start small.
Choose one key workflowor business process,
(11:18):
whether it's client onboarding,performance reporting,
or social media content creation.
Map out the workflow in detail.
Then ask, which parts of thisprocess could be handed off
to an AI agent?
What should remainsquarely in human hands?
Finally, identify any gapsin your team's readiness
to make that collaboration successful
(11:39):
and make a plan to close them.
If you're an independentprofessional or employee,
think about your list of tasks or skills
for a given project.
Which tasks should youcontinue to handle on your own
versus delegating an AI agent?
And how can you use youruniquely human skills,
such as collaborationand critical thinking,
(12:01):
to successfullycollaborate with AI agents?
And for this week's reflectionquestion, ask yourself,
if AI agents joined your team tomorrow,
would you be prepared to lead them?
Would your team be readyto collaborate with them?
Take a moment to reflect on how your role,
your skillset, your mindset,
and your company culturewould need to evolve
(12:22):
to not just survive, but thrivein the age of agent bosses.
That's all we have for thisepisode of "Work Week."
I'm Kelly Monahan,
and this week we ask the question,
is your workforce preparedto manage AI agents?
Thank you for listening.
If you found this episode informative,
please share with a colleague or friend,
(12:43):
and don't forget to subscribe
for weekly data-backedinsights on the future of work.
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