Over the next 12 to 24 months, we will make some of the most consequential AI decisions of our executive careers.
Generative AI and agentic automation rapidly reshape how we work and stay competitive. Deloitte forecasts that of enterprises already using generative AI, 25 percent will deploy AI agents this year and 50 percent by 2027.
We face real pressure to adopt AI strategies or risk falling behind. But if we charge ahead without a smart plan, we invite disaster.
There’s a growing belief in some executive circles that AI can just replace people. That we can automate everything, cut headcount, and call it efficiency.
But let’s be honest: that’s not innovation—it’s negligence.
We’re setting ourselves up for trouble if we rush to bring in agents before having a plan. It can hurt our reputation, throw off daily operations, and take a toll on performance. But when we use AI to support and elevate the work our people do best, we start seeing real, lasting impact.
Right now, we’re at a decision point. We can chase short-term savings that hurt us down the line—or we can invest in AI that works with our people, not against them, to build smarter, more resilient companies.
The Doom Scenario: The Risks of an Agent-Only Approach
Put simply, a poorly planned, agent-only AI strategy will set your company—and potentially your entire sector—on fire.
When businesses rush to automate roles without a cohesive plan, they invite unintended consequences. The most visible is large-scale job loss.
A 2023 Goldman Sachs report estimated that generative AI could disrupt or displace up to 300 million jobs globally. If even a fraction of today’s companies adopted the mantra “don’t hire if an agent can do it,” we would face unemployment numbers rivaling the Great Depression.
But this is not just a labor statistic—it’s a social crisis. When millions lose jobs, customers stop spending. Demand craters. Brand reputations suffer. Governments intervene. Politicians find easy targets. Executives who once claimed they were “innovating” are now testifying in front of congressional committees. Economic instability becomes the unintended price of technological progress.
While we understand the societal impact of widespread job displacement, it can be hard to let that concern drive our decisions when the pressure to move fast is so intense. Still, even when layoffs seem like a shortcut to efficiency, the consequences often catch up with us. Trust starts to slip. Productivity slows down. People with experience and history walk away. And before we know it, the culture we’ve worked hard to build starts to fray. When we treat our people like they’re just numbers, they stop going the extra mile—they keep their heads down, do the minimum, and hesitate to bring new ideas to the table.
A 2025 survey by Writer that polled 1,600 C-suite executives and employees found that internal tensions and poor alignment between business and IT leaders are also hindering GenAI adoption. Half of the surveyed executives say AI is “tearing their company apart,” while 94% said they are unsatisfied with their current AI solution. 72% admit their company has faced at least one challenge in adopting AI.
Meanwhile, over-automated systems prove brittle. When exceptions or edge cases arise, as they always do, there’s no human left to adapt. Customer service falters. Product quality slips. And the very cost savings you achieve by removing people are quickly offset by firefighting, rework, and customer churn.
In short, a reckless, agent-only approach is not just anti-human. It’s anti-business.
The Boom Scenario: The Rewards of Strategic Human-AI Collaboration
Now contrast that with the organizations choosing a smarter path—those building hybrid workforces where people and AI work in tandem.
In these companies, AI isn’t there to push people out—it’s there to take some of the repetitive tasks off their plates. Agents take on repetitive, rules-based work—drafting documents, analyzing data, triaging customer queries—while humans focus on what they do best: solving novel problems, exercising judgment, building relationships, and leading.
This isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s also a smarter business move.
We’re already seeing the results. In call centers, for example, AI tools make agents more productive and customers happier, especially newer team members who benefit from extra support. Developers using AI copilots are moving faster while making fewer mistakes. And in creative roles, AI’s proving helpful in getting ideas flowing—not as a substitute for originality or taste.
When we use AI thoughtfully, our teams do more work that matters. That boosts engagement, reduces burnout, and helps us keep top talent. It also makes us more agile, and better able to adjust when markets shift or new challenges arise.
The real value of AI comes from removing friction, not simply replacing people.
When our teams can move past the busy work, they get more time to focus on customers, strategy, and ideas that move the needle. That’s not just smart—it’s how we build staying power.
The Leadership Imperative: Plan, Don’t Panic
The path forward isn’t about choosing between being all-in on AI or avoiding it entirely—it’s about finding the right balance. We need to figure out how to use AI to support our people, align with our goals, and reflect on how our business operates.
That means we can’t just rip out our teams and drop in agents overnight. Instead, we must invest in tools that help us see where AI genuinely adds value—and where human judgment and creativity still matter most. And we’ve got to give our people what they need to work alongside AI, not feel like they’re being replaced by it.
Above all, it requires thoughtful, evidence-based planning instead of assumptions or hype.
We need to be able to simulate, analyze, and optimize how AI and human labor fit together—before we make real-world decisions. Tools like these can help us determine how to make the most of our human talent, using digital twins, real-time labor data, and predictive modeling to identify where AI can support rather than replace people.
The Choice Is Yours
There’s a lot of pressure right now to move fast on AI. And sure, being early can help; there’s value in learning first, getting attention, and building momentum. However, organizations should take a more deliberate approach over time, and they will come out ahead.
As executives, the choices we’re making right now will shape how well our organizations adapt and compete in a world where intelligent systems are becoming the norm. Jumping on the agent-only bandwagon might feel efficient in the short term, but it risks eroding trust, harming our reputation, and throwing our operations off balance. If instead, we focus on using AI to support and extend our teams’ strengths, we’ll be in a much better position to innovate and stay resilient over the long haul.
What we decide today will influence how ready our culture is for change—and whether we stay relevant as the ground keeps shifting.
Choose wisely.