This company has more AI agents than employees
When market research firm Kantar handed Copilot licenses to every employee, chaos and creativity erupted. Andy Doyle, Kantar Chief People and Agent Officer, joins the WorkLab podcast to share how a wave of maverick experimentation led to 15,000 agents—and the birth of an "agent factory" that's reshaping the enterprise. Hear how frontline innovators, influencer evangelists, and a wild diversity of agent builders forced leaders to rethink control, scalability, and what's possible when you let people drive the AI transformation. 00:00 - "You're not failing, you're iterating" 01:08 - Kantar created a Chief People & Agent Officer 02:51 - Addressing employee anxiety about AI 03:19 - Managing people and agents together 03:58 - Kantar's AI transformation began 05:28 - Moving from pilot to company-wide adoption 06:48 - 85% daily Copilot usage 07:24 - Kantar built 15,000 agents 08:20 - Inside Kantar's agent factory 09:33 - No-code, low-code, and pro-code agents 12:43 - HR agent: 3 days to 120 seconds 16:09 - AI improved work quality 17:54 - ROI: tech cost, labor cost, token cost 21:43 - "Are you announcing a reduction in workforce?" 28:10 - AI advice for leaders: focus on people Find this episode on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/worklab/id1582908812 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2vApnLW5XfXoP8WDYGzFkT WorkLab Podcast: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/podcast About the WorkLab Podcast: Join host Molly Wood as she explores what leaders need to know to prepare their organizations for the innovations and disruptions that are transforming the way we work. Listen to her conversations with leading economists, technologists, and researchers on everything from how to use AI effectively to what it takes to thrive in a digital age. For more insights on the future of work, visit: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/ **