Artificial Intelligence Agents Reshape Global Workforce This Week

This weekly update examines how AI agents and artificial intelligence systems are transforming businesses and workplaces around the world. An AI agent is a computer program that can make decisions and do work all by itself, without needing a human to tell it every single step. These programs are now replacing human workers in many companies.

Major University Study Shows AI Capability

The most important news this week comes from MIT, a famous science university in the United States. Researchers released a study showing that AI can already do the work of about 11.7% of all American workers. This equals roughly 151 million workers and about $1.2 trillion worth of wages. The study used a special tool called the Iceberg Index that compared what AI can do with what humans do in different jobs.

The research found that AI is especially good at office work, financial tasks, healthcare paperwork, and professional services like law and accounting. The study doesn't predict when jobs will actually disappear, but it shows that AI has the ability to do many tasks right now.

Real Companies Using AI Agents Right Now

Salesforce, which is a large technology company, used AI agents to do customer service work. The company's leader said they reduced their customer support team from 9,000 workers to about 5,000 workers. The AI agents now handle many customer questions and problems without needing humans. However, the company says many workers were moved to different jobs like sales and customer success instead of losing employment completely.

Klarna, a payment company, created an AI assistant that does customer service. The company reports that their AI agent now handles work equal to 853 full-time employees. This saves Klarna about $58 million every single year.

IBM, one of the biggest computer companies in the United States, announced it would cut thousands of workers in the last three months of 2025. The company's leader said IBM is shifting to hire more people for AI and quantum computing instead. IBM previously replaced hundreds of workers in human resources jobs with AI.

Other Companies Making Changes

HP, which makes computers and printers, announced it would cut between 4,000 and 6,000 jobs by the end of 2028. The company said these layoffs are happening because of AI technology. Fiverr, a website where freelancers find work, announced they are cutting about 30% of their workforce, which means about 250 workers. The company said they want to become an "AI-first company" that mostly uses AI to do work.

Growing Concerns About Too Many Workers

Research from a company called BearingPoint shows that about half of all companies worldwide think they have too many workers right now because of AI capabilities. This means these companies believe their AI systems can do 10-19% of their work better and cheaper than human workers. Some companies predict this could get even bigger—up to 30-50% overcapacity in just three years.

Jobs Most at Risk

The jobs facing the biggest risk include back-office work like data entry and document processing, customer service jobs, payroll clerk positions, and inventory management. Financial jobs, retail jobs, and administrative positions are also highly at risk. These jobs tend to involve repetitive tasks and following specific rules, which AI agents do very well.

New Jobs Are Being Created

While some jobs are disappearing, new types of jobs are being created. Companies are now hiring for positions like AI product managers, people who check AI work, and experts who help humans work with AI. Demand for "AI fluency"—the ability to use and manage AI tools—has grown seven times in just two years, which is faster than any other skill.

How Companies Are Changing

Many companies are not just replacing workers with AI, but instead redesigning jobs so humans and AI work together. For example, AI might fill out paperwork so nurses can spend more time with patients, or AI might write computer code so programmers can focus on harder problems. This approach typically requires 40-80% fewer human workers than traditional jobs, but it keeps some jobs.

What This Means for the Future

The window for companies to treat AI as something distant is closing quickly. Businesses must decide soon how to use AI responsibly while taking care of their workers. Workers around the world should think about learning AI skills to stay valuable in the changing workplace. Governments are also paying attention—some states in the United States are already using the MIT research tool to plan how to help workers prepare for these changes.