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Forbes
11-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Future Staff Meeting Has No Chairs: How To Manage Digital Workers
Josh Scriven, Global VP of Technology at Neudesic: Driving Strategy and Transformation Through Innovative Technologies. Imagine a bustling office floor at 8 a.m., except half the 'people' clocking in are digital workers without bodies, coffee mugs or commute complaints. They're busy summarizing overnight deal chatter, flagging late shipments and nudging payroll about tax code tweaks. You blink, sip your coffee and they've finished three meetings' worth of work. In this era of the digital workforce, algorithms hold badges and KPIs, and the org chart feels—well, porous. Leaders wonder if these virtual colleagues will grow the bottom line or chew it up. The answer is simpler and stranger than expected. It depends not only on code but on how we hire, train and retire these digital newcomers. Let's map this new paradigm. A Quick Flashback Think about chatbots or your desktop macro designed to copy and paste invoice numbers. They saved a few minutes here and some dollars there. Yet, they never quite felt like teammates. Two years of pandemic-altered workflows pushed automation from being a 'nice idea' to a desperate 'please, anything to relieve the grind.' Cloud vendors responded with large language models that could reason, write and occasionally wax poetic about sourdough bread. Meet The Digital Workforce A digital worker isn't just a smarter chatbot. It's a colleague who: • Knows where to find the truth. It taps shared knowledge stores rather than surfing random web pages. • Invokes your existing apps. Need to raise a purchase order or log a support case? It already speaks those APIs. • Tracks its track record. Performance dashboards display cost saved, errors avoided and, yes, customer satisfaction. • Reports to a manager. Whether the worker is human or algorithmic, this is who reviews output, assigns OKRs and approves 'promotions' (often meaning newer model or access privileges). Once you describe them this way, conversations shift from abstract AI to plain HR. Onboarding, coaching, reviews, offboarding. The same verbs apply, even if the worker is a line of code rather than a new face at orientation. New Rules Of Engagement 'Great,' says the COO, 'but can we trust AI to follow policy?' The short answer: yes, with caveats: 1. Transparency beats mystery. Every decision a digital worker makes can be logged with timestamps and rationales. Organizations now expect chain-of-thought traces, scrubbed for secrets but rich enough for auditors. 2. Policies must live in code, not slide decks. If GDPR blocks sending data outside the EU, that rule sits in a policy engine, not a compliance PDF. 3. Feedback is non-negotiable. Just as interns need guidance, digital workers need user thumbs-up, error flags and periodic 'performance reviews' where prompts or models get tweaked. With transparency, human colleagues can relax. No rumor mills about rogue robots, just clear 'who did what, when and why.' How Leaders Lead In The Age Of AI So, what does it take to bring a digital worker on board? It turns out, much of the playbook looks familiar—with a few key rewrites. Onboarding, for example, requires some special considerations: • Define clear roles. Define precisely what process they will perform, the tools they'll access and the knowledge base they'll rely on. • Set access boundaries. Map every worker to role-based access (e.g., Azure Entra ID) following least-privilege. • Create a probation period. Establish controlled trials with limited scope. Set measurements and feedback loops. Coaching mirrors human mentorship: run quality checks, compare tone to brand voice, calibrate politeness in different languages. Metrics matter: average handle time, resolution accuracy, customer sentiment. Retirement isn't an awkward cake in the break room. It's archiving logs, revoking tokens and, when needed, transferring memory to a successor agent. Clean closure means zero 'zombie' integrations lingering in the network. Risk Lens Let's not sugar-coat, though. An agent given the wrong data can parrot confidential information. One taught on biased examples can perpetuate injustice. Prevention hinges on explainability and controls like: • Immutable Logs: We're entrusting digital workers with access to our enterprise. If there is a compliance or data breach, misinformation or a privacy violation, you need to understand what happened step by step. These logs serve as permanent digital records. • Fail-Safes: If your digital workers might create content, automating content filters proactively blocks sensitive or harmful information. This includes PII, financial data, confidential internal strategies, offensive language, biased content or anything potentially harmful or discriminatory. Identifying and mitigating these risks early helps protect your brand. • Sandbox Testing: Red-teamers throw curveball prompts before launch, hunting failures early. These are your ethical hackers who stress-test both your system and digital workforce. They challenge the digital worker with adversarial or deceptive prompts to expose security vulnerabilities and provoke failures. Thinking like bad actors helps you prepare for threats. Culture Shock And Celebration Even with guardrails, the biggest challenge may not be technical—it's cultural. How people feel about their new algorithmic coworkers can make or break the transformation. Humans don't fear spreadsheets; we fear irrelevance. Leaders who succeed frame AI staff as co-workers, not replacements. They: • Celebrate 'human-plus' wins (digital workers draft reports, analysts add nuance). • Rotate employees into 'digital worker coaches,' a modern mentorship role. • Tie bonuses not to hours worked but outcomes, letting machines handle grunt tasks. You'll still meet resistance. Empathy helps. So does storytelling: Show a team where digital workers cleared dull work, freeing them for a creative sprint that won a new client. Stories beat slide decks every time. Looking Around The Corner Edge devices in factories may soon host microagents that negotiate machine schedules in milliseconds. Digital worker swarms might brainstorm marketing copy, A/B test it live and deposit winners into your CMS before dawn. The org chart won't break; it will flex. Regulators will keep pace. Expect audits that will ask for results as well as reasoning paths. Firms with transparent explainability will breeze through. The takeaway? Treat AI like a new department: Hire thoughtfully, set guardrails, measure impact and, yes, celebrate wins at the all-hands. Because the future staff meeting may have no chairs, but it still needs strong leaders at the table. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Fast Company
01-07-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
Why this bank is hiring full-time AI employees
Banks are embracing the AI workforce —but some institutions are taking unexpected approaches to its deployment. The Bank of New York Mellon (BNY) has dozens of so-called digital employees working alongside its human counterparts. And distinguishing those AI -driven colleagues might become more difficult in the months ahead. Rather than quietly working in the background, digital workers are integrated into the broader BNY team—and soon they'll have their own email accounts and ability to participate in Microsoft Teams meetings. Whereas many companies are still working to determine how best to incorporate AI into their day-to-day operations, BNY has embraced it in the form of digital staffers who work under the auspices of human supervisors. There are, per The Wall Street Journal, two separate AI personas the bank has built: One focuses on coding; the other is dedicated to validating payment instructions. Each persona is deployed across specific teams, with data access siloed for security reasons. New personas, which will specialize in different areas, are in the works now. These aren't digital assistants. Armed with individual login credentials, NBY's AI workers can access the same tools as human workers. If they spot a problem or vulnerability, they're able to write and implement a patch (though it must first be approved by a human manager). In the future, BNY aims to give its digital workforce access to email and Microsoft Teams, enabling the AI to contact human managers when it faces a problem it can't resolve on its own. While other banks are utilizing AI, most still use the technology as a far less empowered support tool for the human workforce. For example, earlier this month Goldman Sachs launched the GS AI Assistant, an AI program that lets workers across its divisions communicate with large language models for efficiency gains. The tool offers coding suggestions, translates foreign languages, and summarizes complex documents for workers. That's a far cry from the semi-independent state of BNY's digital workers, and the tasks it undertakes are much more mundane. Despite its innovative tech, BNY emphasized to The Wall Street Journal that it's not adopting an AI-first approach. Human hiring is not slowing down at present, even as more AI workers are developed. That's understandable. Several companies that have gone all-in on AI have scaled back those efforts and resumed hiring humans amid pushback from customers who don't want human jobs to be assumed by AI. 'The possibility that AI tools might completely take over tasks previously handled by humans, rather than just assist with them, stirs up deep concerns and worries,' wrote Harvard University marketing professor Julian De Freitas earlier this year. There's some rationale behind those concerns. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said last month that he believed AI could eliminate half of all entry-level white-collar jobs within five years, a move that he said could cause unemployment to spike to between 10% and 20%. He's not the only one sounding an alarm. In April, Aneesh Raman, LinkedIn's chief economic opportunity officer, warned that AI is increasingly putting entry-level jobs under threat. And there are a growing number of stories from workers who saw their six-figure-earning jobs disappear without notice, bringing chaos to their lives. Meanwhile, venture capitalist Kai-Fu Lee has called predictions that AI will displace 50% of jobs by 2027 ' uncannily accurate.' But for BNY, the AI revolution is, at present, more about adding to the workforce without inflating the company's payroll budget. And as a bonus, these coworkers won't take the last cup of coffee from the break room either.
The Australian
30-06-2025
- Business
- The Australian
Future hinges on bridging Australia's digital skills gap
Australia's economic future hinges on the strength and adaptability of its digital workforce. As technology continues to reshape industries, services and the nature of work itself, demand for tech talent is surging – and fast. To keep pace, we need to rethink how we attract, train and support the next generation of tech talent. Traditional career and education paths alone won't meet the scale or diversity of demand. From Agentic and Generative AI (GenAI) to quantum computing and advanced robotics, emerging technologies are redefining how we work, and the capabilities businesses need to stay competitive. Among these advances, GenAI, and now Agentic AI, stand out as the most transformative. Their rapid evolution and adoption are not only reshaping the tools we use, but the very nature of work. A recent Mercer report found that nearly three-quarters of Australian organisations are already experimenting with AI tools, and more than a quarter are actively developing formal AI strategies, particularly within IT functions. Yet from a skills perspective, many Australian organisations aren't prepared to make the most of AI. The Women in Tech report by RMIT Online and Deloitte Access Economics found that over a third of employers say their workforce either lacks or has outdated tech skills. As future-facing technology adoption grows, so too does the need for a workforce that can guide, collaborate with, and govern AI responsibly. To remain competitive in a digitally driven economy, organisations must go beyond building AI capabilities. They must invest in their people, equipping them with the skills, confidence and adaptability to thrive alongside AI, not be left behind by it. Clearly, AI implementation is contributing to a sense of uncertainty and instability in some workplaces. According to Deloitte's 2025 Human Capital Trends report, 75 per cent of thousands of workers surveyed globally feel they need greater stability at work in the future. As AI transforms how work gets done, the role of people leaders must evolve. Managing tasks and outputs is no longer enough. Leaders need to become coaches who help their teams navigate change and develop skills that have the greatest potential to create value for both the organisation and individual. Tina McCreery is Chief Human Resources Officer at Deloitte Australia. We also need more flexible and accessible entry points – especially for individuals from underrepresented or disadvantaged backgrounds. This includes women, who still represent just 30 per cent of the tech workforce. The Women in Tech report identified more than 660,000 women in Australia who could reskill into technology roles in six months through short courses or on-the-job training, boosting their earning potential by more than $30,000 annually. Inclusive, targeted programs have the power to turn this potential into real progress. One program helping lead the way is Deloitte's Digital Career Compass. Designed for people navigating life transitions or barriers to employment, the 12-week program equips participants with foundational tech training, industry-recognised certifications, business readiness skills and one-on-one mentoring. The goal isn't just to upskill, but to create genuine pathways into sustainable tech careers. Katherine, 43, learned about the Digital Career Compass program just a year after a family event had left her in significantly diminished economic circumstances. Through the program, she learned to build foundational technology knowledge and received expert support to apply that knowledge to complete a Salesforce certification. Upon completion, she was equipped not just with technical skills, but the confidence and business readiness to thrive. Though she initially applied for an entry-level role at Deloitte Australia, her performance and potential meant she progressed quickly, not only transforming her career but also bringing much needed talent, skills and capability. Programs like this show what's possible when we empower people with the tools and the opportunity to succeed because as GenAI becomes embedded across industries, the demand for digitally fluent and adaptable talent will only accelerate. Meeting this demand requires more than technical training. We need to continuously embed AI fluency across every level of the organisation. When employees feel confident using AI tools, they're more empowered to contribute, collaborate, and innovate. Equally important is fostering a culture of experimentation where people are encouraged to explore AI hands-on. This builds the resilience, adaptability, and problem-solving mindset that future-fit organisations will depend on. With bold thinking and collaborative action, we can close Australia's digital skills gap and build a workforce that's not only ready for what's next but equipped to shape it. While the challenge is urgent, the solution is within reach. Tina McCreery is Chief Human Resources Officer at Deloitte Australia. - Disclaimer This publication contains general information only and Deloitte is not, by means of this publication, rendering accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax, or other professional advice or services. This publication is not a substitute for such professional advice or services, nor should it be used as a basis for any decision or action that may affect your business. Before making any decision or taking any action that may affect your business, you should consult a qualified professional advisor. Deloitte shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by any person who relies on this publication. About Deloitte Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee ('DTTL'), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. Please see to learn more. Copyright © 2025 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved. -
Forbes
30-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Digital Employees: The Invisible Workforce Of The Future
Anton Alikov, CEO and Founder, Arctic Ventures. In our rapidly evolving digital world, AI employees (also known as AI agents) are already becoming a transformative force in traditional workplaces. It is possible that in the next two or three years, digital employees will cease to be a futuristic concept and become integral members of high-performance teams in various spheres of human activity. I believe this evolution of the workforce will also create opportunities for human workers to develop new skills and take on more meaningful responsibilities that require creativity, intuition, critical thinking, off-the-shelf skills and emotional intelligence. The Microsoft 2025 "Work Trend Index Annual Report" indicates the emergence of "frontier firms" that fully integrate AI agents into their business processes, leveraging "intelligence on tap" and hybrid human-agent teams where every human employee becomes a colleague or supervisor of a digital agent. It is not yet easy to assess the market for such technologies, but the Boston Consulting Group forecasts that the AI agent market will grow by an average of 45% and reach $52.1 billion by 2030. In my own experience, the combination of digital employees and human teams can increase efficiency without seriously reducing jobs for people, and a number of both established players and startups are at work developing the technology even further. What exactly is a digital employee? A digital employee is a complex AI-based software structure designed to autonomously perform tasks that are traditionally performed by trained people. Unlike traditional rule-based bots that follow simple instructions, well-designed AI employees are able to learn and adapt to a complex environment and make decisions similar to humans. In addition to AI technologies, digital employees also use machine learning, LLMs, deep learning, robotic process automation and cognitive computing technologies to "think" and propose solutions to complex problems. This powerful combination makes it possible for them to solve a wide range of tasks that previously required the intervention of qualified people. Digital employees can analyze large amounts of data, offer solutions to problems and even make complex decisions with high speed and accuracy, avoiding human errors and providing consistent task execution. They can work 24/7 and hyperautomate entire business processes end-to-end. In my opinion, one of the most impressive aspects of digital employees is their versatility in various roles and divisions of companies. They can perform various tasks in the field of customer service, personnel and financial management, etc. This feature can make them a valuable asset in any organization, as they can be configured to support teams from different departments simultaneously. Last but not least, thanks to natural language processing (NLP), AI employees can be designed to effectively communicate with customers and company staff, including detecting context. This allows them to provide accurate and relevant answers, helping to make their interactions more natural and productive. How does a digital workforce function? As AI grows in relevance, a number of developers are striving to seamlessly integrate AI employees with their existing systems in order to increase the efficiency of their entire organization. Many modern AI platforms use low-code/no-code software and offer plug-and-play deployment options, enabling enterprises to achieve immediate benefits without as many technical obstacles. AI employees are designed to work with people, with the latter providing training, control and feedback to fine-tune processes. In my experience, this collaborative approach can significantly increase team productivity by allowing employees to focus on strategic priorities while the AI program performs routine tasks. Humans can have constant access to huge amounts of information, process it quickly and receive recommendations. This can help transform them from narrow specialists into diverse professionals with both broad and in-depth knowledge, potentially increasing their productivity. Who will be the main customer for AI employees? Based on the above analysis, a wide variety of organizations can benefit greatly from the introduction of digital workers. For example, I've observed that they are already in high demand by small businesses right now, as AI can help these companies address a variety of common problems, such as: • Difficulty finding and retaining qualified people, which can lead to a hesitancy toward training human employees • Inability to serve customers 24/7 • Challenges with scaling a business without loss of quality Many of these problems are already being solved by the introduction of digital employees, helping to turn more SMEs into strong candidates to become frontier firms. What challenges can leaders expect? Although AI employees have great potential, their implementation may still be burdened with certain difficulties, including: • Risks of security breaches and data theft • Lack of emotional intelligence in AI programs • The formation of excessive trust in digital employees, which could lead to a lack of human oversight necessary to catch incorrect AI outputs • Technical problems of integrating AI employees into legacy systems I believe overcoming these challenges will be a top priority for developers and business leaders alike in the coming years. Will digital workers be able to completely replace people? This question scares many people, but I believe the answer is no: Despite their impressive capabilities, AI employees are not able to completely replace people. Most likely, we will never see fully automated and peopleless organizations. On the contrary, I see a future in which both digital and human employees will work in tandem, using their unique strengths to achieve various synergies. As history has shown many times, new technologies can destroy jobs, but they also usually go on to create many more new jobs. Conclusion In sum, AI employees are rapidly becoming important components of many organizations. By automating routine tasks and empowering staff, digital workers are revolutionizing the way businesses operate. I encourage business leaders to look at digital employees not as AI replacements for humans but rather as a way to create powerful partnerships that can help ensure high levels of productivity, innovation and job satisfaction. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
Arab News
18-06-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Deloitte Middle East advances AI integration with launch of Global Agentic Network
Deloitte has launched its Global Agentic Network, a strategic initiative designed to scale AI-driven digital workforce solutions for organizations around the world, with significant potential to transform business operations across the Middle East. As AI adoption accelerates in the region, Deloitte's agentic AI offering provides a future-forward solution that combines intelligent automation with human expertise. Through its global network spanning EMEA, Asia Pacific, and North America — and with a growing regional focus in the GCC — Deloitte is bringing AI-powered agents to enterprises looking to drive operational efficiency, accelerate growth, and reimagine how work gets done. Agentic AI refers to software agents capable of autonomously executing tasks, orchestrating workflows, and adapting based on input from users or other systems. These agents, powered by large language models and machine learning, are designed to learn and evolve — making them ideal for complex, dynamic business environments. In the Middle East, where government and private sector agendas alike are emphasizing digital transformation, the Global Agentic Network supports national strategies for AI innovation and economic diversification. Deloitte is already supporting regional clients in sectors such as energy, government, and financial services to implement agentic solutions that streamline decision-making, improve efficiency, and unlock value at scale. 'The Middle East is on a rapid trajectory toward AI-led transformation, and Agentic AI is a game-changer for how businesses operate,' said Yousef Barkawie, Deloitte Middle East Gen AI leader. 'At Deloitte, we're helping our clients navigate the world of AI transformation by architecting and building the capabilities and trust needed for them to scale out their AI deployments and transform at the core. Our clients are finding new efficiencies in their ways of working, streamlining their operations, and reimagining their entire value chains. This is an exciting moment to help shape what the future of work looks like in our region, especially as governments and industries double down on innovation and future-readiness.' The Global Agentic Network includes alliances with leading technology platforms and the launch of solutions like Zora AI, Deloitte's suite of proprietary AI agents that can autonomously perform complex business functions. These tools are already being deployed within Deloitte's own operations, as part of the firm's broader ambition to become an AI-fueled organization by 2030.
