Start-ups are bringing AI agents into everyday office work

Start-ups are increasingly using AI agents as colleagues, assigning them work in areas such as administration, coding, sales and marketing. Supporters say agents can take on routine tasks and help small teams do more, but their spread is also causing friction with people who want human contact and raising concerns about jobs and mistakes.

At AI start-up Anything, 15 employees work alongside about 150 agents, and its founder expects agents to outnumber human staff at many companies. McKinsey found that around 40% of large organisations used agents in some capacity between May 2025 and June 2026, up from 27% the previous year; Boston Consulting Group reported that companies expect to reduce workforces by 10% to 15% over the next few years as they delegate more work to AI. However, MIT research cited in the article found no major productivity gains from AI so far, while Lindy says it has replaced some roles with agents after cutting about a third of its staff.