This weekly update reveals important trends in how artificial intelligence is transforming the business world and changing the way companies operate and manage their teams. The impact is not simply about fewer jobs or faster work—it is about a fundamental shift in how organizations function and how employees spend their time during the workday.

How Agentic AI is Changing Daily Work

One of the most interesting discoveries comes from companies using agentic AI, which is artificial intelligence that can make decisions, complete tasks, and suggest actions without needing a person to approve every single step. Unlike older AI tools that just help with specific tasks, agentic AI works more like an intelligent team member that learns what needs to be done and helps organize the work. Companies that are using these AI tools are discovering something surprising: the traditional workweek rhythm is changing on its own. Meetings are moving from scattered throughout the week to concentrating in the middle of the week, Mondays are becoming more productive for important work instead of just catch-up meetings, and Fridays are less about winding down and more about accomplishing meaningful tasks.

A software development company called Particle41 found that when they used AI tools to organize their meetings and workflows better, they could run meetings with 33% fewer people and still get better results. This shows that agentic AI is not just making individual workers faster—it is completely changing how teams work together. Teams are reporting they feel twice as productive and six times more focused when AI helps organize their work and provides suggestions about what to do next. The AI acts like a helpful colleague that knows what information everyone needs and reminds people about important deadlines and next steps.

The Concern About Job Losses

However, this optimistic picture is complicated by concerning job loss numbers. During 2025, employers in the United States announced 1.17 million total job cuts through November. More importantly, 54,694 of those layoffs were directly caused by AI adoption—three times more than in previous years. This dramatic increase shows that companies are moving quickly to replace some jobs with artificial intelligence. Industries like cloud hosting and IT services saw more layoffs than education or nonprofits, showing that different industries are affected very differently. Even government agencies are cutting their cybersecurity budgets, which is making some people worry about whether this is the right time to have smaller security teams.

Business Leaders Say Don't Panic Yet

Despite the job loss numbers, some of the world's most important business leaders are telling a different story. Jamie Dimon, who runs JPMorgan Chase, one of the biggest banks in the United States, said recently that he does not believe AI will "dramatically reduce" jobs in the next year, as long as governments create smart rules to keep AI safe. Dimon compared AI to other major inventions throughout history—like tractors that changed farming, vaccines that improved health, and fertilizers that grew more food—saying these inventions changed society but ultimately helped people and created new opportunities. According to Dimon, AI will create jobs, especially in the short term, and people whose jobs do change can be retrained for new positions.

Dimon gave practical advice to people worried about their careers: focus on critical thinking, learn new skills, understand your own emotions and how to manage them, practice communication, and develop your writing ability. He emphasized that people with special knowledge and skills will always be valuable, and that if AI adoption happens too quickly for society to handle, businesses and government should work together to introduce the changes slowly so people can learn new skills and find new work.

The Skills Problem is Real

Research shows that having the right skills is becoming more critical than ever. A huge study of over 16,000 cybersecurity workers found that 88% had experienced real problems because their company lacked important skills. Rather than being scared of AI, many workers are becoming more interested in learning about it—70% are pursuing AI qualifications to prepare for the future. Companies are struggling because they need workers with AI skills but also need to keep investing in their current employees. Organizations are trying to help workers learn new skills and train them for different jobs, but this is hard when budgets are being cut and hiring is frozen.

Workers say they value being heard and feeling like part of a team that cares about them. They want opportunities to learn and grow without feeling worried they will lose their jobs. When workers feel supported by their company, they are happier and more likely to stay. When they do not feel heard or see a path for growth, they are more likely to leave when job opportunities improve.

What This Means for Businesses

The transformation happening right now is not just about efficiency. Companies using agentic AI properly are finding that their culture is actually improving because they have a shared system that remembers important information and shares knowledge across the whole organization. This means when someone takes time off or leaves the company, the important knowledge does not disappear. This "storage of intelligence" might become more valuable than a company's brand name in the near future because it helps the organization operate better no matter what changes happen.

Eighty percent of workers are already using some form of AI in their jobs, but only 20% have official permission from their companies to do so. This gap shows that employees are moving faster than companies are moving. Workers are already figuring out how to use AI to get their work done better, with or without their company's official approval. This means companies cannot wait and think about this anymore—they have to act now or they will fall behind their competitors and disappoint their own employees.

The Path Forward

The real story about AI and business is not about fewer workers or tasks getting done faster. It is about completely new ways of working becoming possible. Companies that embrace AI as a tool to help their employees do better work while also caring about their company culture will be the winners in the coming years.