In this BSA series – “AI@Work” – enterprise software leaders explain in their own words how artificial intelligence (AI) is having a positive impact on people’s jobs and the workforce. In this submission, Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Business Applications & Agents Bryan Goode writes about how leaders can help employees integrate AI agents into their workstreams to improve productivity and scale their organizations.
How will AI@Work change how people do their jobs, and how should we prepare?
We’re seeing a new kind of company taking shape—born in the AI era, built to scale with digital labor. We call them Frontier Firms.
Some are global enterprises. Others are five-person startups. But all are organized around human–agent teams that expand capability, automate workflows, and unlock new levels of performance. And they’re already pulling ahead: 71 percent of Frontier Firm employees say their company is thriving (vs. 37 percent globally).
With the rise of AI and agents that can reason, plan, and act as digital labor, companies can scale capacity as needed. Leaders see the opportunity: 82 percent of leaders plan to use digital labor to scale workforce capacity in next 12-18 months.
We think this will have major implications for how organizations are structured. Leaders now face a critical new question: what’s the right human-agent ratio? This goes beyond automation. It’s about deciding when humans and AI working together outperform AI alone. When customers expect a human touch. And when accountability must stay human.
Looking five years out, over 30 percent of leaders expect their teams to take on responsibilities like redesigning business processes with AI, training and managing agents. This is the big shift we see ahead: Every employee will soon be the CEO of their own agentic startup within their company. Managing and leading agents—scaling their impact and career opportunity. We call it the rise of the agent boss—people who build, direct, and scale their work with agents.
Preparing employees for what’s next is no longer optional. It’s a leadership imperative—one that demands honest conversations, intentional communication, and real investment in reskilling. That means rethinking roles, evolving the skills we value, and empowering employees to lead in new ways.
The shift is multifaceted—every industry and role will evolve differently as the technology diffuses across business and society. But for all there is an opportunity to turn this moment into a career accelerator, using AI to automate the repetitive, so we can focus on the strategic, the creative, and the relational. We are already seeing the AI era give rise to new roles, and expect there will be many more to come.
How is Microsoft preparing enterprise clients to take on different forms of AI and embed it throughout their work?
We’re on the brink of a major organizational transformation, one driven by AI agents. These models have become incredibly capable and fast. They can reason, plan, and act, which is fundamentally changing how organizations operate.
With this shift to a more AI-integrated workplace, AI is no longer just a tool; it’s becoming a colleague. In fact, we’re entering a future where having a Copilot for every person and an agent for every business process isn’t just possible—it’s expected.
With this in mind, we’re focused on helping organizations move from AI experimentation to AI transformation. The most forward-thinking organizations aren’t experimenting with AI in isolated pilots. Instead, they’re embedding it at scale, and that broad adoption is unlocking levels of productivity and collaboration that siloed approaches can’t match.
Cutting-edge technology like Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Studio empower teams to integrate AI into their daily workflows and unlock new levels of productivity and innovation.
We’re also helping customers build the capability to adopt AI responsibly and at scale. That includes guidance on change management, security, and governance, as well as resources to help every employee build AI fluency.
What are some key takeaways for leaders using or planning to use AI@Work?
First, act now and scale fast. The era of tinkering with AI in small pilots is over, and those who move to broad deployment sooner will gain a competitive edge.
Second, empower your people with AI tools and training. Give employees access to secure, enterprise-ready AI like Microsoft 365 Copilot and foster a culture that encourages experimentation and learning, so everyone can integrate AI into their daily work.
Third, start reimagining roles and processes by “hiring” your first AI agent as a digital employee. Identify repetitive, time-consuming tasks—for example, scanning support tickets or drafting routine reports—and let AI handle them. This frees up your team for higher-value work.
Finally, invest in change management and upskilling. Clearly communicate that with AI comes the opportunity to accelerate careers, and provide employees resources for them to build new skills. When people see AI removing drudgery and helping them shine in their roles, adoption will take off and sustain itself.
For leaders navigating the shift, the key takeaway is this: AI isn’t just a technology transformation, it’s a leadership moment. The organizations that treat AI as a capability to be built—not just a tool to be deployed—will be the ones that thrive.
What distinguishes AI @ Work from other uses of AI?
In the enterprise, AI isn’t just a novelty. It’s a mission-critical capability designed to drive real business outcomes: boosting productivity, reducing costs, improving customer experiences, and accelerating innovation.
That means enterprise AI has to meet a higher bar. It runs on your organization’s data—often sensitive and proprietary—and it must operate within a framework of trust: enterprise-grade security, privacy, compliance, and governance. For example, Microsoft 365 Copilot keeps your data within your trusted Microsoft cloud tenant and respects the permissions and policies your organization has already set.
Beyond trust, it’s also about integration. Copilot and agents can be deeply embedded into the tools and workflows people already use, such as email, documents, CRM systems, and databases. That context is what makes the AI truly useful—surfacing insights, automating tasks, and enabling action right where work happens.
And because the stakes are higher, enterprises also need control. IT teams can manage how AI is used, monitor activity through audit logs, and enforce policies to ensure responsible use. This level of oversight and alignment with company values is what distinguishes enterprise AI from consumer tools.
Who will be the biggest beneficiaries of AI used in the enterprise or workplace environment?
AI can benefit everyone in the workplace if implemented correctly.
For employees, AI is a game-changer. It takes on the repetitive, time-consuming tasks—summarizing documents, handling routine requests—so people can focus on the work that really matters. That shift doesn’t just boost productivity; it makes work more fulfilling. It gives people time back to be more creative, more strategic, and more impactful.
For managers and leaders, AI delivers sharper insights and faster execution. Instead of waiting days for reports or analysis, they can get real-time intelligence to make better decisions, faster. That kind of agility is a competitive advantage.
At the organizational level, AI unlocks scale. It allows companies to grow and adapt without a linear increase in headcount. It helps teams respond to change more quickly, innovate more freely, and serve customers more effectively.
So in the big picture, AI at work is a win-win. It can enhance individual roles, strengthen teams, and make entire organizations more successful in serving their customers.
About the author:
Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Business Applications & Agents Bryan Goode oversees the marketing strategy and execution for Dynamics 365, Power Platform and Copilot Studio, which are among Microsoft’s fastest growing businesses. Bryan has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Kansas and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
