Microsoft: 'The question isn’t if AI will reshape work - it's how fast we’re willing to move with it'

AI is not an era, it is the new reality of work.

It is “just part of our life now, it is who we are as a society”, Microsoft HR CVP and Chief AI Officer Christopher Fernandez tells UNLEASH in an exclusive interview.

With agentic AI, we are now living in “the moment when companies moved beyond experimenting with AI and began rebuilding around it”.

In this context 2025 is the year that “the Frontier Firm was born”.In this context 2025 is the year that “the Frontier Firm was born”.

That’s the conclusion of Microsoft’s fifth annual Work Trend Index report. The tech giant surveyed 31,000 workers from 31 countries and analyzed thousands of Microsoft 360 productivity signals and LinkedIn hiring statistics.

These Frontier Firms are already emerging, with 71% of workers at firms saying that the company is thriving, compared to 37% in global companies.

Plus, Frontier Firms are more optimistic about the future of work, compared to ordinary companies (93% versus 77%).

This begs the question, what makes these companies different and successful in the AI-powered future?

How to become a Frontier Firm

Microsoft’s report found that currently employees are interrupted every 2 minutes during work hours – that’s 275 times per day – so if organizations want to drive productivity (as 53% of leaders do), it is high time they embrace AI agents as a digital colleague.

45% of leaders say that expanding team capacity with digital labor is their top priority in the next 12 to 18 months, while 46% noted that their company is using agents to fully automate workflows and processes.

46% of employees see AI as a thought partner, with 42% seeing the number one advantage of having AI colleagues is that they are available 24/7. Plus, 36% of leaders expect their teams will be managing agents within five years.

Ultimately, the key to Frontier Firms is that they are built around AI intelligence on tap and they leverage human-agent teams. There is also a perspective that all employees will become agent bosses.

Microsoft report stated: “Just as Word and Excel reshaped how we work, agents will too. Where we once said, 'I send emails,' 'I write documents,' 'I create pivot tables,' we’ll soon say, 'I create and manage agents'."Microsoft report stated: “Just as Word and Excel reshaped how we work, agents will too. Where we once said, 'I send emails,' 'I write documents,' 'I create pivot tables,' we’ll soon say, 'I create and manage agents'."

“Preparing for what’s next is no longer optional”, it is mandatory – “the question isn’t if AI will reshape work - it's how fast we’re willing to move with it”, concludes the Work Trends Index.

UNLEASH is thrilled that Microsoft HR executives will be joining us on stage at UNLEASH America 2025, including newly appointed CPO Amy Coleman. Still not bought a pass? There’s still time to join us in Las Vegas, 6-8 May!