The Rise of Digital Labor: Redefining Work in the Age of AI

The future of work is here, and it’s digital. With the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence, businesses are on the cusp of a revolutionary transformation—one driven by AI-powered “digital labor.” This new era introduces AI agents capable of performing tasks once limited to human employees, offering unprecedented scalability, efficiency, and reach. As Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff aptly puts it, “This is really the rise of digital labor,” and its success hinges on thoughtful implementation. OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman calls agents “the next giant breakthrough.” 

Digital labor refers to AI agents that act as virtual employees, handling complex tasks with precision and speed. Think of these agents as high-functioning interns—indefatigable, logical, and incredibly well-read on your customer data, knowledge bases and policies. But, like any intern, their performance depends on the quality of their training: the processes they follow, and the context they are given, and the automations they can use. And then how they are managed, measured, and coached.

Agents are not “magic”’. Many of the time-proven disciplines and approaches for managing a human workforce directly apply. The difference is that our digital workforce needs far more direct guidance because it takes instructions literally.  The looseness of words – ambiguity – leads to seemingly random results. 

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