Workday Unveils Unified AI Agent Management Platform for Enterprises

Workday, a leading HR tech company, is rolling out a fresh tool for businesses to manage their AI agents in one spot. And hey, they're not stopping there—they're also introducing a bunch of new AI agents of their own, just to keep things interesting.

On Tuesday, Workday, headquartered in Silicon Valley, unveiled the Workday Agent System of Record. This new feature aims to help customers keep tabs on all their AI agents, whether they're managed by Workday or by another company. Think of it as a control center where you can see what each agent is meant to do, what they're actually doing, and who in your company can use which agents. The software also keeps an eye on how each agent is performing and estimates costs. Plus, you can switch agents on or off, or toggle specific skills or tasks as needed.

During a press briefing, Workday CEO Carl Eschenbach mentioned that as AI agents become more integral to business operations, companies need a way to manage them just like they manage human employees. "The workforce is expanding," Eschenbach said. "It's not just human workers anymore; it's digital workers too, and we need a unified platform to manage this whole workforce moving forward."

Eschenbach also pointed out that while AI is set to be a game-changer, businesses are still a bit wary about jumping in. They're concerned about losing control over their AI agents or those agents accessing data they shouldn't. Workday hopes their new system will ease these worries.

Alongside this, Workday announced a new lineup of AI agents designed for specific roles like payroll, contracts, and financial auditing. Back in September, they had already introduced four agents focused on recruitment and talent mobility.

David Somers, Workday's chief product officer, explained that these new agents are more about roles than just tasks. This approach means they come equipped with specialized knowledge and can work better alongside human employees.

"A lot of folks talk about AI agents, but right now, they're mostly just speeding up repetitive tasks," Eschenbach added. "The real magic happens when agents take on roles. They might start with one skill, but over time, they'll pick up many, and that's how we'll truly harness AI's power."

Workday isn't charging for the AI agent management platform, but you'll have to pay to use their specific AI agents, just like before.

This news follows Workday's recent decision to lay off 1,750 employees, which is about 8.5% of its workforce. Eschenbach mentioned at the time that the company needed to adapt to a changing world, which included plans to hire more AI experts.