We go into a new reality – one where AI can resonate and solve problems in remarkable ways. This intelligence on the tap will rewrite the rules of business and transform knowledge work as we know it. Like the industrial revolution and the internet era, this transformation will take decades to show its full promise – and will lead to broad technological, societal and economic changes.
The annual report for the Work Trend Index in 2025 is designed to prepare managers and employees for this shift. As in previous years, it draws on a major global study, Microsoft 365 Telemetry and LinkedIn employment and work. New this year is the insight of AI-native startups, economists, scientists and academics-all pointing to a seismic shift that is already underway. Actually 82% Of leaders say this is a central year to rethink core aspects of strategy and operations.
The data reveals the appearance of a new kind of organization: The Frontier Firm -Builded around intelligence on the male, human agent team and a new role for everyone: Agent Boss. While the shift in front is in -depth, human ambition, creativity and ingenuity will continue to create new economic value and opportunity. Actually 71% of workers at these companies say their company thrives compared to just 37% Global.
You can buy intelligence on the tap
Imagine if you knew it before the internet started how much it would reshape the business. This is where we are with AI. Intelligence is no longer bound by employee numbers or expertise. It is an important durable item: ample, affordable and scalable on-demand. As economic and shareholder pressures grow, this on-demand intelligence is offering a new handle for growth that can close the growing gap between business requirements and human capacity. While 53% of leaders say that productivity should rise, 80% Of the global workforce reporting that lacks time or energy to do their jobs. And on average the employees are interrupted by a meeting, e -mail or ping each 2 minutes. To build bridge over this Capacity gapAt 82% of managers expect to use digital labor to expand their workforce for the next 12 to 18 months.
Digital labor will encourage the reinvention of even the most established companies – and the birth of new businesses that we haven’t even thought of yet. On LinkedIn hiring Top AI -Startups 2x The speed of Big Tech. Much of this talent flows out of Big Tech and is staying in the starting world, pointing to a deeper shift where innovation – and the opportunity – is rising. When established companies adapt and challenges scale that we saw in .com -boom, the rules of talent and competition are rewritten in real time.
Human-Agent-Teams will increase the ORG chart
When AI continues to democratize expertise we see a movement from rigid org diagrams to more fluid, result-driven Work diagrams. These structures are bent with the needs of the company, which draws on the right mix of people and agents to get the job done. While each function develops at a different pace and scale, 46% of managers say their organization is using agents to fully automated workstreams or business processes – with Customer ServiceAt Marketing and Product development like the top AI investment priorities.
To maximize the impact of these human agent teams, organizations need a new metric: the Relationship between people and agent. Leaders need to ask two critical questions: How many agents are needed what roles and tasks? And how many people are needed to guide them? Getting the relationship that is right will be critical and task specific. Organizations will need to consider whether there are times when human and digital labor surpasses AI alone when customers prefer a human touch or when society expects people to be responsible for the consequences-as a product or financing decision with high effort. Whether it is a customer interview, a strategic decision or a product launch, knowing how to manage the right mix of people and agents will define how the work is done – and how success is measured.
Each employee becomes agent manager
As agents increasingly join the workforce we see the increase in Agent Boss: A person who builds, delegates to and administers agents to reinforce their influence and take control of their careers at the age of AI. From the boardroom to the front line, every worker must think as CEO of an agent -driven start -up. Actually expect leaders to their team trainer (41%) And control (36%) agents within five years.
For those who are ready to lean in, AI will be a career accelerator – but leaders are ahead. We measured Agent Boss Mindset across seven indicators – from regular use and confidence in career influence. Managers surpass employees on all measures: 67% are acquainted with agents (against 40% of employees) and 79% Faith AI will speed up their careers (against 67%). But this shift does not stop at the top. When agents become embedded in daily work, roles across all levels and function will develop – along with the wider workforce. While 33% by leaders considering reductions 78% Considering hiring for new AI roles. And 83% SIG AI will allow employees to take on a more complex and strategic work earlier in their careers.
This shift is multifaceted – every industry and role will develop differently as technology diffuses across business and society. Like the Internet, the billions of new knowledge jobs -from social media managers to UX designers -created the AI ​​era already give rise to new roles, with many more coming. Preparing for the next is no longer optional. Employees need to build AI skills and companies must support them with the right tools and training. This moment calls for honest conversations, intentional communication and real investments in rescience. The companies that invest now will not just follow – they will shape what is coming next.
Copilot is the new user interface for AI
Today we advertise Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2 Spring Release – Designed to run the next era of human agent collaboration. Microsoft 365 Copilot app is now your window into the world of agents with new opportunities for this next phase – Driven by more advanced models, adaptive memory and reasoning that work with you. Updates include:
- Researcher and Analyst Agents driven by Openai’s deep reasoning models that roll out to customers through the Frontier program – and with our new Agent storeyou can easily find, pin and use agents – from partners like Jira, Monday.com and Miro – or your own custom agents.
- Create brings Openai’s GPT-4O AI image generator to work, unlocking design and content creation skills for everyone. Change or customize brand photos or generate AI images that are adapted to your company’s approved fire -direction lines and create everything from marketing copy and social assets to newsletter banners, videos and more.
- Copilot Notebooks transforms your notes, documents and data into immediate insight and actions. By grounding copilot in a notebook that contains specific chats, files, meeting recordings and more, it can focus on the most relevant information – all while constantly scanning your source material to update in real time as your data develops. Notebooks can even create a sound overview of your content with two hosts leading you through the key points – a fun, flexible way of staying informed.
- Copilot search is a new AI-driven business search that helps you find what you need instantly with rich, context-conscious answers from your entire organization’s apps and data. It connects to first and third-party apps from ServiceNow to Google Drive, Slack, Confluence, Jira and more- so you get quick, relevant results at work, regardless of where your data lives.
- New possibilities in Copilot control system Strengthen IT professionals to enable, disable or block agents for specific users or groups – to help ensure that the right agents are used by the right people.
2025 will be remembered when the year the border company was born – the moment companies moved beyond experimenting with AI and began to rebuild it. Like the digital native companies a generation ago, they understand the power of pairing irreplaceable human insights with AI and agents to unlock the great value. We give customers insight to predict what is the next – and the technology to help shape it.
Read the annual work trend index on Worklab and visit the Microsoft 365 blog to learn more about our product messages. Learn what this year’s work trend index finds mean for small and medium-sized businesses.
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