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The question isn’t whether AI agents will join the workforce—it’s whether an organization is ready to manage them when they do. Most HR leaders are focused on which AI tools to buy, but Scott Schmidt has different concerns: Who’s going to train these digital employees, review their performance and handle it when they mess up?
Schmidt, global deputy talent leader at EY, has watched his firm integrate AI for 400,000 employees worldwide. His conclusion: The biggest AI challenges in the workplace aren’t technical—they’re management challenges. And HR departments aren’t prepared for them.
“We may not be preparing adequately for agents that can manage performance calibration or compensation analysis,” Schmidt warns. He says the realignment from thinking about AI as a helpful tool to AI as a workforce member requires HR leaders to put aside the typical assumptions about how work gets done.
1. Decide who will manage AI agents—and how
The most weighty question isn’t technical—it’s organizational. Schmidt believes HR departments should take ownership of AI agent management, treating them similarly to human employees.
“Questions such as, how we train the agents, review their performance and address underperformance will require HR to take the lead,” he says.
Scott Schmidt, EY
