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...
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2vApnLW...
WorkLab Podcast: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/workl...

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/