The art of seamless human-machine partnerships in the age of agentic AI

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the relationship between humans and machines. For hundreds of years the relationship has been clearly defined: machines do the mechanical things, and people do the thinking and decision making. For many ANZ organisations, that dynamic is rapidly changing.

Over the last several years, algorithms and data have given us the tools to start delegating decision-making tasks to machines. That shift is accelerating with the emergence of agentic AI.

What is agentic AI?

An AI agent is a software system that uses artificial intelligence to make autonomous decisions and take actions to achieve a set of specific objectives. Gartner predicts that by 2028, 33% of business software will include agentic AI. This will enable autonomous decisions in 15% of day-to-day work tasks, according to the analyst firm.

This new technology promises to revolutionise productivity by automating routine tasks and offering intelligent insights. Amidst the buzz, there are still a lot of questions about how humans and AI agents can collaborate.

Technology like this can change how individuals approach their work and track success. Before we can start realising gains, it’s critical to understand some of the existing collaboration dynamics between humans and AI.

The evolution of human-AI collaboration

The relationship between humans and AI advances as our knowledge deepens and AI models become more capable.

Traditionally, collaboration revolves around AI providing outcomes that follow human guidance. We see this particularly in customer support, where AI tools generate data analysis, personalised suggestions and resolutions for customers. This is increasingly shifting to intelligent, predictive AI capabilities that self-heal technical issues autonomously.

The arrival of agents introduces a new paradigm in which humans act as supervisors and AI makes decisions autonomously based on a defined goal. One example is supply chain management: AI systems handle inventory tracking, forecasting and adjustments, while humans focus on strategic planning. This shift allows humans to concentrate on higher-value tasks, supported by AI’s efficiency and precision.

However, one critical learning we’ve observed is that no matter how advanced the AI tools are, their impact is limited if human behaviour doesn’t adapt to use them effectively. A great example of this is the typical team meeting. While use of transcription tools reduces time from meeting to action, human behavioural changes also play a hand in prompting AI outcomes. For instance, what we call ‘AI meeting etiquette’ involves explicitly flagging action items (eg. ‘John, that’s an action item’) or calling out key points as ‘very important’ during the meeting. These cues allow the AI to accurately capture and organise action items in real time. When humans adapt their behaviour to work with AI, the process becomes nearly instantaneous. This example underscores a key point: technology alone doesn’t solve problems — humans must adapt to fully unlock its potential.

Building trust in human-AI collaboration

Opportunities to collaborate are exciting, but success depends on trust. To foster trust, companies must ensure that AI processes are transparent and provide explanations for how AI reaches its conclusions. Transparency gives humans more confidence in AI systems and their ability to reach defined goals.

Equally important is the clear delineation of roles and responsibilities in human-AI ecosystems. When individuals know how AI complements their work, it creates a sense of stability and purpose. This clarity paves the way for partnership, where humans rely on AI for efficiency but remain accountable for outcomes.

AI deployed in diverse fields like sales, marketing and engineering are already proving their worth under human leadership. In sales, AI tools analyse customer behaviour and offer personalised recommendations. These tips allow humans to focus on building relationships rather than managing data. Similarly, in engineering AI assists with design optimisations and prototyping, empowering human engineers to lead strategic decision making.

Comprehensive human-AI collaboration can transform industries, and in countries like Australia and New Zealand, where skills shortages remain a perennial issue, the benefits of trusted AI autonomy are clear. By automating routine tasks, AI frees employees to focus on innovation and problem-solving, creating a more productive and engaged workforce.

The role of humans as orchestrators

Despite AI’s technical capabilities, humans are at the heart of enabling its potential. As agentic AI rises, so too does the need for humans to shift from doers to orchestrators, setting goals and defining objectives that guide AI systems.

This will include a skills reset to match those needs. According to the IDC Creating your AI Implementation Blueprint InfoBrief, commissioned by Dell and NVIDIA, around one in five AI projects in Asia Pacific failed in 2023, and skills were the reason often cited, with governance, and costs also a factor.

With agentic AI, a human defines the desired goal, offers nuanced insights, and makes strategic adjustments based on AI-generated outcomes. However, these actions require judgment and expertise that software cannot achieve on its own.

The good news is that the Asia Pacific region is increasingly investing in AI capabilities and starting to realise the benefits. In ANZ, the majority of organisations (59%) are at the early stages of AI and ML implementation or are using it only for select use cases. This is slightly higher than the regional average of 53%.

However, only 20% of ANZ organisations are systematically adopting AI across multiple functions or have capabilities ahead of their peers. More organisations will need to embrace AI this way for agentic AI to achieve truly organisation-wide implementation, let alone the capabilities for communicating and collaborating with other relevant organisations.

Unlocking the power of human-AI synergy

We believe extraordinary gains are made when human ingenuity meets technology. By integrating agentic AI into workflows, individuals and organisations can achieve greater levels of productivity and creativity.

As the workforce makes this shift, modern and flexible infrastructure must keep pace. Now is the time for businesses to explore agentic AI and its impact on IT architecture to ensure human-machine partnerships are able to reach their full potential.

Creative professionals like Australian film director Alex Proyas who spoke at Dell Technologies Forum in Sydney earlier this month are already using AI to bring their vision to life faster. Businesses are using intelligent systems to deliver exceptional, intuitive customer experiences. These advancements remind us that the true potential of AI lies in amplifying human capacity. By investing in human-AI partnership both from a technology and skilling perspective, businesses can position themselves as leaders in innovation and adaptability. We can all participate in shaping a future where technology and humanity unlock new opportunities together through seamless partnerships.

Top image credit: iStock.com/Supatman