Microsoft sees AI agents shaking up org charts, eliminating traditional functions

Employees at frontier companies are particularly positive on AI’s potential to grow their companies rapidly. “Frontier company employees expect to be able to work more efficiently with AI in the future, which can be interpreted as meaning that they are looking forward to the future positively,” Oh Seong-mi explained.

MS predicted that most organizations will shift toward becoming frontier companies in the next two to five years, redefining employee roles. Major examples include Bayer, Dow Chemical, and Wells Fargo. Bayer is currently introducing AI agents into product development, saving 6 hours per week, and Dow Chemical is introducing AI to delivery operations, with an expected cost savings of millions of dollars. Wells Fargo has used AI agents for customer service at more than 4,000 branches, reducing information search time from 10 minutes to 30 seconds.

According to the report, companies are also significantly increasing their use of AI agents. 46% of leaders say their companies are fully automating work processes using agents, and they expected rapid expansion in customer service, marketing, and product development in the next 12 to 18 months.