Throughout history, technological revolutions have redefined the way people work. From steam engines to electricity, and from computers to the digital age, each leap has brought new systems, skills, and expectations. Today, we stand in the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, driven by interconnected technologies such as AI, big data, and robotics.
Although artificial intelligence has been studied since the 1950s, its real-world breakthrough is unfolding now. With tools like ChatGPT and Generative AI, capabilities once considered science fiction are now part of everyday life — from diagnosing illnesses to automating customer service and optimising supply chains. This progress is paving the way for agentic AI — systems that can generate content, make decisions, and act with minimal human input.
These advanced AI agents, equipped with natural language processing and decision-making capabilities, are becoming essential co-workers, handling a wide range of business tasks: managing orders, responding to customer inquiries, scheduling appointments, and more. The result? A new digital workforce operating 24/7, alongside humans, to boost productivity, reduce costs, and fuel innovation.
A New Labour Model: Humans and AI
Like past industrial revolutions, this one is creating new roles and reshaping organisational structures. Autonomous AI agents can now handle routine and repetitive tasks, allowing human workers to focus on higher-value activities. For instance, customer service agents can shift their efforts to complex cases while AI takes over FAQs, refunds, and troubleshooting. In doing so, humans transition from executors to strategic thinkers and overseers.
In the UAE, this shift is already gaining traction. Sales professionals currently spend just 27% of their time engaging with clients. Yet 75% of UAE-based sales teams are now experimenting with or have fully implemented AI tools to boost productivity. Similarly, 93% of service organisations are exploring or adopting AI for intelligent customer interactions — from chatbots to smart recommendations.
AI agents will not be passive tools. They’ll be active collaborators. For example, an AI agent handling customer queries may escalate a case to a human when it detects frustration — and that human can provide feedback to help the AI improve. These feedback loops will enable continuous learning and reduce the need for human intervention over time.
Rethinking Organisational Design
As digital labour becomes a core element of business, companies will need to adapt. This includes developing new roles in AI governance, risk management, AI operations, and AI-human integration. Teams will need experts in training, managing, and monitoring these agents to ensure alignment with business goals and ethical standards.
However, trust remains a critical factor. Globally, 93% of office workers say they don’t fully trust AI for work-related tasks. Companies must bridge this gap by building transparency into AI systems, implementing fairness audits, and testing for bias — ensuring that AI performs reliably across social and cultural contexts. Salesforce’s Trust Testing framework, for example, is designed to root out hidden biases through diverse user input.
Laying the Technical Foundation
Adopting AI also requires the right infrastructure. Businesses need systems that can connect agents to relevant business data and context, enabling them to operate effectively. A strong digital foundation is essential for integrating AI into workflows and decision-making processes.
As agentic AI continues to mature, forward-looking organisations will need to rethink how work gets done. Those who act early and embrace this transformation will set the tone for the future of work — one defined by seamless collaboration between humans and machines, unlocking new frontiers of efficiency, creativity, and growth.
In the Middle East and beyond, those leading this charge won’t just adapt to change — they’ll shape the next era of work.
