AI has quickly become part of completing everyday tasks at work, helping people get through tasks more efficiently and reducing some of the manual effort involved. In fact, according to recent research, 75% of people across the globe use AI at least once a day.
Workers are comfortable using AI to support them with tasks where they can retain control and oversee the output. However, this is still an early phase in how AI will shape the workplace.
As the technology develops, we will see more autonomous systems using AI agents that can make decisions, take action and continuously learn, often without waiting for instructions. At the same time, human oversight will remain central to how these systems operate.
This shift towards greater autonomy is where many people become more cautious, with recent research stating that 61% of people globally preferring AI to take no independent action. For businesses, building confidence in these systems will depend on giving people a clearer understanding of how they work and how decisions are reached. Establishing that trust will be critical if organisations are to adopt autonomous systems more widely and realise their potential at scale.
Autonomous systems in practice
Research highlights that IT decision-makers expect an average of 39% of digital workplace services to run autonomously by 2030. IT leaders, alongside senior leadership teams, need to start planning for what this will mean for the workplace and where autonomous systems can be introduced across the business.
The move towards greater autonomy is already underway, with many organisations using automation to take routine work off employees’ hands and give them more time to focus on areas that require human judgement.
In retail warehouses, for example, everyday IT issues such as reconnecting scanners or applying automation to point of sale software can be handled automatically, which means customers can always use the check out. Systems can also analyse device data to spot potential issues and take action before a machine fails, helping to reduce downtime. This becomes particularly valuable during peak retail periods such as Christmas and Black Friday, when even a small disruption can have a significant operational impact.
This type of automation follows pre-defined rules, with a particular event or condition triggering a specific response. Autonomous systems go further, assessing what is happening and deciding how best to respond with minimal human oversight.
As these systems become more capable and the digital workplace becomes more autonomous, there needs to be a clear understanding of which tasks these systems can handle independently and when a person needs to step in. This will allow everyday work to run more smoothly while ensuring people remain in control.
The confidence gap
Despite AI becoming a familiar part of working life, there is still hesitation around how much control people are prepared to hand over. According to research, only 1 in 20 people (5%) have no concerns about AI operating without a human in the loop, highlighting the confidence gap that could slow wider adoption of autonomous systems.
People may be comfortable using AI for everyday tasks but allowing it to act independently requires a different level of trust. Many still want to review AI-generated work before acting on it, particularly when a decision could have wider consequences.
Building that confidence will require greater transparency around how autonomous systems operate, alongside helping people understand where they can be trusted to act independently. In addition, explainability will be a big confidence driver, as workers can understand how autonomous systems make the decisions that they do. One way to do this is to introduce autonomy in low-risk, pre-approved areas first. As an example, an autonomous system could complete a routine and reversible task with predefined boundaries, then pause for human approval if an action could affect security or sensitive data.
Giving people the experience of autonomous systems working effectively within these parameters will be key to closing the confidence gap. As familiarity grows, so too can the level of responsibility these systems are trusted to take on.
What comes next
As that confidence grows, the way people oversee autonomous systems can begin to evolve. Instead of reviewing every action, they can focus their attention on the decisions and situations where their involvement matters most.
We are already seeing early signs of where this is heading, as agentic AI moves beyond responding to prompts and starts to take on more active roles in the workplace. Agents are beginning to manage parts of workflows independently, moving between systems and taking action on behalf of employees with less intervention required along the way.
This gives us a glimpse of what the next phase of the digital workplace could look like. As agentic AI becomes more capable, the question will increasingly be how much responsibility people are comfortable giving it. The trust built today will shape how quickly that changes and, ultimately, how far the autonomous digital workplace can go.
