Employees shouldn't feel apprehensive about artificial intelligence, according to Mohamed Kande, the global chairman of PwC. Kande suggests that AI should be viewed as a digital colleague rather than a threat. His remarks align with the perspectives of other business leaders who advocate for embracing AI within workplaces. “Think of AI as your digital colleague rather than fearing it, ” Kande stated during a panel at the World Economic Forum conference held in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday. “People often fear what they do not understand, so giving them access to the technology is crucial, ” Kande explained, emphasizing that engaging with AI allows employees to see it as a "digital colleague" they can collaborate with. "You don’t fear your colleagues; instead, you partner with them, ” he added. "We encourage employees to partner with the technology. " Kande also highlighted that the integration of AI in the workplace should not solely come from upper management. "There’s a misconception that the advantages of augmentation must originate from management, " he remarked. "These benefits should be driven by the individuals. " His comments reflect the sentiments of various executives who view AI as an essential extension of the workforce.

Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, and Salesforce’s CEO, Marc Benioff, have both praised the widespread implementation of AI agents. These agents can deconstruct tasks into smaller, manageable steps, focusing on specific objectives to achieve larger goals. "I envision Nvidia eventually being a company with 50, 000 employees and 100 million AI assistants integrated into every team, " Huang said during an October podcast. In Salesforce’s third-quarter earnings call, Benioff noted that the company has become the "largest provider of digital labor, " largely due to its Agentforce product, which enables clients to create their own AI agents. Benioff stated that the emergence of digital labor means "productivity is no longer dependent on workforce growth, but rather on this scalable intelligent technology that has no limits. " In October, PwC announced its implementation of Agentforce, aiding clients in activating AI agents to enhance their operations. While employees' confidence in AI is on the rise, so too are concerns about potential job displacement. A 2024 survey by Boston Consulting Group, which polled over 13, 000 employees, revealed that those who frequently use generative AI tools are more likely to fear losing their jobs. Among regular users of generative AI, 49% expressed concerns about their jobs disappearing in the next decade, compared to 24% of non-users who felt the same way.