Are You Ready for a Hybrid Workforce of Humans and AI? | Extreme Networks

In my last blog of 2024, I predicted that 2025 would be the year to define the rise of AI agents, multi-agent frameworks, agentic workflows, and autonomous systems. This transformative shift isn't just my prediction-it's echoed by key industry leaders like Sam Altman. In his Reflections blog on OpenAI's journey, Altman envisions 2025 as the year when AI agents may "join the workforce," fundamentally reshaping how companies operate and scale.

The potential of agents is undeniable-they have the power to transform IT organizations and entire enterprises, while unlocking new business opportunities across the entire ecosystem of vendors, partners, consultants, and services organizations. Beyond this, as Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, has emphasized, agents could ultimately replace traditional SaaS and applications by embedding business logic directly into operations.

Beyond just conversational AI

So, what is all the buzz about? At Extreme Networks, we quickly realized that AI is far more than a simple conversational tool or assistant providing expert advice-it's a powerful enabler of innovation and productivity. Last year we introduced a new collaborative interaction model for AI called the AI Canvas, which empowers users to seamlessly create workflows, dashboards, insights, and reports with AI-driven assistance.

AI agents will transform the workforce

As trust in AI grows, users will become increasingly willing to relinquish more control to these systems-this is where AI agents come into play. Unlike conversational interactions with AI (such as chatbots) or the collaborative mode offered by tools like the AI Canvas, AI agents operate autonomously. These agents are designed to execute complex tasks based on simple instructions, navigating, and interacting with the real world to achieve their objectives. Whether they function with human oversight or independently depends on their configuration and use case, but their ability to act decisively and adaptively makes them powerful extensions of the workforce. For example, Salesforce has already demonstrated this approach with their AgentForce platform.

So, are we transitioning from the traditional human workforce model depicted in Figure 1?

Figure 1 - Workforce of the past

Or will the workforce of the future consist of robotic AI agents, as shown in Figure 2?

Figure 2 - Workforce of the Future?

Or, as depicted in Figure 3, will 2025 usher in a hybrid workforce where humans and AI agents collaborate seamlessly?

Figure 3 - Hybrid Workforce

The reality will likely fall somewhere in between, shaped not only by advancements in AI technology but perhaps more importantly, by the trust and willingness of users to adopt these systems. Additionally, managers must also be prepared to effectively integrate AI agents into their team structures. Amid the many unknowns, a pressing question arises, "Who is responsible if something goes wrong?" Ultimately, responsibility must rest with the humans that put the agents to work. We cannot abdicate responsibility and throw up our arms in the air when challenges arise. This is a key consideration to keep in mind as we step into this pivotal new era.

I also strongly believe that focusing on user experience will be crucial-beyond the ongoing efforts to enhance accuracy, determinism, and reasoning in AI technologies-factors that are essential for the success of AI agent technology.

We stand on the brink of an exciting era, though much remains uncertain. When speaking at conferences, events, internal briefings, or transformation workshops, I often leave my audience with this statement: "AI will not replace you, but a human using AI might."

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