Good morning. AI agents are promoted as the future of work, but while employees adapt to the idea, most aren’t comfortable reporting to a digital boss.
More than 80% of organizations are expanding their use of AI agents, according to a new report by Fortune 500 company Workday (a CFO Daily sponsor). Although 75% of workers are comfortable collaborating with AI agents, only 30% are comfortable being managed by one. The research finds that employees are happy to use AI agents as tools, but don’t view them as decision makers to whom they must answer.
Nearly half (48%) of respondents are concerned that AI agents will increase pressure on employees to work faster. The findings are based on a survey of 2,950 full-time decision makers and software implementation leaders across North America, APAC, and EMEA.
Trust appears to be the elephant in the room. More than 25% of respondents believe AI agents are overhyped.
“Building trust means being intentional in how AI is used and keeping people at the center of every decision,” according to Kathy Pham, vice president of AI at Workday.
The research found that trust in agents rises with greater use: only 36% of those just exploring AI agents trust their organizations to use them responsibly, compared with 95% among those further along the adoption curve.
Workday’s report highlights the importance of keeping human accountability at the center of AI decision-making. At the Fortune Brainstorm AI Singapore conference last month, Sapna Chadha, VP for Southeast Asia and South Asia Frontier at Google, advised that agentic platforms must clearly communicate actions and request user approval at key decision points.
“You wouldn’t want to have a system that can do this fully without a human in the loop,” Chadha said.
Workday’s research also revealed that, with the industry facing a shortage of CPAs and finance professionals, 76% of finance workers believe AI agents will help fill the gap, and only 12% are worried about job loss. Top uses for AI agents in finance include forecasting and budgeting, financial reporting, and fraud detection. Gen Z is especially bullish—70% are interested in working for companies that invest in AI agents.
The report recommends the following for leaders: refine performance through human ingenuity, prioritize tools and training, and design roles that unlock purpose—not just productivity.
Will employees ever be comfortable calling an AI agent their boss? In my opinion, when it comes to AI, never say never.
Have a good weekend.
Sheryl Estrada
sheryl.estrada@fortune.com
Leaderboard
Fortune 500 Power Moves
Aunoy Banerjee was appointed EVP and CFO of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (No. 341), effective Oct. 24. As previously announced, current CFO John Woods will depart the bank on Aug. 15. Chris Emerson, EVP and head of corporate planning and enterprise finance, will serve as CFO during the interim period. Banerjee joins Citizens from Barclays, where he currently serves as CFO of Barclays Bank PLC. Before Barclays, Banerjee served in finance and transformation roles at State Street for eight years, most recently as head of investments and third-party management and chair of State Street India. He also served as chief transformation officer. Banerjee previously spent 11 years at Citi in several roles, including business unit CFO for Capital Markets and Securities Services.
Every Friday morning, the weekly Fortune 500 Power Moves column tracks Fortune 500 company C-suite shifts—see the most recent edition.
More notable moves this week:
Jonathan Hugh was appointed CFO of ALT5 Sigma Corporation (Nasdaq: ALTS), a fintech and digital asset treasury company. Hugh brings over 25 years of experience. He previously served as CFO of digital asset firms GSR International Ltd, a global market maker, and Zodia Custody Ltd, a regulated institutional custodian.
Matt Puckett was appointed CFO of Ibotta, Inc. (NYSE: IBTA), a digital promotions network, effective Aug. 25. Most recently, Puckett served as CFO of VF Corporation, a global leader in branded lifestyle apparel and footwear. Over his 23-year tenure at VF, he held multiple operating CFO roles, including a four-year international assignment in Switzerland overseeing finance across Europe and Asia. Puckett will replace Valarie Sheppard, who has served as Ibotta’s interim CFO since March 14.
Julie A. Beck was appointed SVP, CFO, and treasurer of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE: MSA), a provider of advanced safety products, effective Aug. 18. Beck most recently served as SVP and CFO for Terex Corp., a global industrial equipment manufacturer. Before that, she served as SVP and CFO for Nova Chemicals, Inc., a producer of petrochemicals. Beck has also served as global VP of supply chain, operational excellence and quality for Joy Global, Inc.
Big Deal
U.S. employers project a median health care cost increase of 10% for 2026, according to a report released by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans.
Employers cited four main factors contributing to the anticipated rise in medical plan costs for 2026: catastrophic claims (up from 20% last year); specialty and costly prescription drugs (up from 20% last year); utilization due to chronic health conditions (down from 16% last year); and medical provider costs (down from 18% last year).
“Employers have indicated that cost-sharing, plan design, and purchasing and provider initiatives will be the most impactful techniques to manage costs,” said Julie Stich, vice president of content at the International Foundation, in a statement.
Going deeper
Here are four Fortune weekend reads:
"Amazon has dreamed of cracking Walmart’s lock on groceries for decades, with limited success. A massive same-day shopping expansion could change that" by Jason Del Rey
"Tapestry takes an $855 million write-down on Kate Spade—and offers a reminder of how risky M&A is in the fashion world" by Phil Wahba
"Ikea’s incoming CEO started his career as a store manager—he recalls working at 5 a.m. in the loading area and eating hotdogs with the founder" by Emma Burleigh
Overheard
“We just figured out a number that we thought was enough money—to be able to buy a house and things like that—and then we doubled it, and we gave the rest away.”
—Brian O’Kelley told Fortune in an interview. O’Kelley banked less than $100 million after selling his $1.6 billion startup AppNexus to AT&T—and gave the rest to charity.
