Agentic Force: The Rise of Autonomous AI Agents and Their Impact

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

AI is rapidly gaining ground globally and expanding its reach into every facet of life. Initially, it responded passively to human prompts. Today, it has evolved into an active, autonomous force shaping business workflows, influencing how organizations operate, how people work, and how companies rethink value creation. Its ability to act as an ever-present, unseen, and integrated agent in the workplace has earned it the fitting name “Agentic Force.”

This post explores what agentic AI is, lessons from early deployments, its impact on the workforce, emerging opportunities and risks, and what this new “agentic force” means for business leaders.

What Is Agentic AI?

According to McKinsey & Company, agentic AI refers to systems built on large foundation models or generative AI that can act independently in the real world, pursuing goals, making decisions, invoking tools, coordinating across tasks, and interacting with both humans and systems.

Unlike traditional AI, which only responds to direct prompts, autonomous agents can discern, suggest, plan, act, and reconstruct, essentially functioning as digital teammates rather than mere tools. Think of agentic AI as the executive arm of workflow management, organizing sub-tasks, adapting to specialized tools (like analytics modules, APIs, and databases), and making decisions with or without human oversight.

How Agentic AI Is Reshaping the Workforce

Unlike ordinary automation tools, agentic AI is redefining roles, skills, and even the meaning of “work.” The Harvard Business Review describes this shift as the rise of digital labor i.e. AI agents that behave as collaborators rather than replacements.

These digital teammates are already working alongside humans in hybrid teams. As agents take on repetitive, data-driven tasks, humans gain space to focus on higher-order, creative, and relational work. Future workforces will rely on a new skill mix: domain knowledge + AI literacy + human skills such as communication, collaboration, and critical thinking.

A recent study using the WORKBank framework revealed that not all automation is welcome. Workers prefer to retain certain tasks. The key takeaway: agent deployment must align with worker comfort and preferences.

The next evolution of “hybrid work” won’t just mean remote vs. on-site. It will mean humans and agents working hand-in-hand, co-creating workflows and decisions.

New roles are already emerging such as:

• Agent Trainer
• Agent Supervisor
• Prompt Engineer
• AI Orchestration Manager
• AI Ethicist.

As some roles shrink or transform, staffing models may shift toward more fluid, project-based, and output-driven structures. The concept of “headcount” could soon feel outdated.

What Works (and What Doesn’t) with Agentic Systems

Agentic systems are not plug-and-play. They require careful design, human oversight, and iterative improvement. McKinsey identifies six key lessons:

1. It’s about the workflow, not the agent: Success depends on rethinking end-to-end processes and defining how humans, tools, and agents collaborate.
2. Not every task suits an agent: For standardized processes, simpler automations may be more effective.
3. Trust and adoption are fragile: Failures erode confidence. Feedback loops, guardrails, and human oversight are essential.
4. Change management matters: Deployments often fail due to resistance or poor incentives. Training and culture are key.
5. Orchestration is critical: Agentic systems need connective “fabric” to manage communications, tasks, and data flow.
6. Scaling and maintenance are hard: Without governance, retraining, and updates, value declines over time.

Opportunities, Risks, and Leadership Imperatives

Opportunities

• Productivity at scale: Faster cycle times and reduced manual work.
• Innovation boost: Humans freed to focus on creativity and strategy.
• Cost leverage: Digital labor scales far cheaper than human labor.

Risks

• Overhype: Agents may fail in ambiguous or context-heavy scenarios.
• Trust and accountability: Who’s responsible for an agent’s decision
• Workforce disruption: Without reskilling, human talent may fall behind.
• Bias and opacity: Autonomous systems can replicate unfairness.
• Maintenance load: Continuous updates and oversight are needed.
• Regulatory lag: Governance frameworks are still catching up.

“Agentic Force” as a Lens for Transformation

“Agentic Force” represents the transformative energy unleashed when autonomous agents are embedded within organizations. It’s a shift in where decisions, actions, and collaborations originate.

This force matters because it:

• Redefines competition: Firms that harness it deliver faster, smarter, leaner operations.
• Reframes the meaning of work: Routine tasks become digital labor; human effort focuses on judgment and empathy.
• Demands new leadership: Executives need fluency in AI, ethics, orchestration, and hybrid human-agent design.
• Requires new governance: Transparency, accountability, and oversight become essential pillars.

Agentic AI is the present.
It’s already reshaping workflows, redefining talent models, and redrawing competitive boundaries. Like any powerful force, its impact depends on how leaders shape it because in the age of agentic AI, you either direct the force or get swept up in it.

Author: Stephanie Thompson

REFERENCES:

• McKinsey — One year of agentic AI: Six lessons from the people doing the work
  https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/one-year-of-agentic-ai-six-lessons-from-the-people-doing-the-work
• McKinsey — The end of inertia: Agentic AI’s disruption of retail and SME banking
  https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/financial-services/our-insights/the-end-of-inertia-agentic-ais-disruption-of-retail-and-sme-banking
• Harvard Business Review — Agentic AI Is Already Changing the Workforce
  https://hbr.org/2025/05/agentic-ai-is-already-changing-the-workforce
• arXiv — WORKBank: A Framework for Understanding Worker Preferences in AI Task Allocation
  https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.06576
• arXiv — Blended Work: Humans and AI Agents in Seamless Collaboration
  https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.13330
• McKinsey — Empowering advanced industries with agentic AI
  https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/our-insights/empowering-advanced-industries-with-agentic-ai
• Brian Heger — Agentic AI Is Already Changing the Workforce (HBR summary & insights)
  https://www.brianheger.com/agentic-ai-is-already-changing-the-workforce-harvard-business-review/