Most business leaders expect ROI from AI agents within a year: report

Whilst 75% are comfortable working alongside AI agents, only 30% are comfortable being managed by them.

More than half of business leaders (56%) expect to see measurable return on investment (ROI) from AI agents within 12 months, including 10% who anticipate results within six months, according to a report from Workday.

Overall, AI agent adoption is accelerating across industries. The report showed 82% of organizations are expanding their use of AI agents, and 88% believe the technology will help reduce workloads.

Trust in employers to use AI in ways that benefit both people and business is strong (83%), with optimism increasing as companies gain hands-on experience.

Still, employees are drawing firm lines around how AI should be used. Whilst 75% are comfortable working alongside AI agents, only 30% are comfortable being managed by them.

Acceptance drops further when it comes to critical financial decisions (40%) or agents operating without visibility (24%). Just 45% of respondents see AI agents as true members of the workforce.

The willingness to share data with AI is conditional. About 73% of respondents said they would share work-related data if it led to improved performance. Younger workers are more supportive of AI investment, with 70% of Gen Z in favor, compared to 63% overall.

Trust in AI varies by function. Respondents expressed more confidence in using agents for IT infrastructure and skills development, but prefer human oversight for finance, compliance, workforce management, and recruiting.

In HR, the most expected gains are in forecasting and planning (84%), scheduling and labor optimization (80%), and time and attendance tracking (75%). Highly automated areas like payroll are expected to benefit less (p. 12).

Finance leaders see potential for AI agents to help address workforce shortages, particularly in roles like CPAs. Top use cases include forecasting and budgeting (32%), financial reporting (32%), and fraud detection (30%). Key concerns include data security (38%) and compliance with evolving regulations (30%).

Governance and ethics emerged as the top barriers to broader adoption. Among respondents, 44% cited ethics and governance, 39% pointed to security and privacy, and 30% expressed strong concern about misuse.

Nearly half (48%) worried about erosion of critical thinking, and 36% were concerned about loss of human connection.

The firm emphasized the need for human-led, cross-functional implementation strategies. Whilst IT remains the main driver of adoption (83% agreement), HR’s strategic role is expanding, especially in designing how work is divided between humans and AI agents.

The authors suggested a shift toward measuring employee performance by how effectively people leverage AI, not just what the AI accomplishes.

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