Are AI Agents coming for your job? What business leaders say about the future of work

More than 80% of Indian organisations are exploring autonomous AI agents, according to Deloitte's 2025 State of GenAI report. But moving from experimentation to everyday work requires more than an AI model. It requires businesses to decide which tasks an agent can handle, what data it can access and where a human still needs to make the call.

That question came into focus in a recent episode of Mint's All About AI, moderated by Mint Associate Editor Abhishek Singh. The panel featured Aditi Sharma, Vice President of Consumer and Manufacturing Industry Segment at Salesforce India; Sandeep Dewangan, President and Group CIO at Safexpress; and Avnish Anand, Board Member at Orra Fine Jewellery and former CEO and Co-founder of CaratLane. Their experience shows the future of work is not just about job loss or replacement. It is about how tasks are changing and how AI is reshaping what people are expected to decide, analyse, or create.

Starting With Data

For Dewangan, the journey began with a practical challenge. Safexpress had to coordinate information across a large network of vehicles, shipments, branches, and employees. The company built an enterprise data lake and connected its systems. Only then did Safexpress introduce AI for route optimisation, scheduling, and digital assistants to help managers decide. Dewangan believes the first investment should be in information infrastructure.

AI in retail and Logistics

Anand’s work in jewellery shows this in practice. When a customer orders a custom ring, AI instantly estimates the gold weight and pricing. This reduces errors and turnaround time. Companies cannot automate every task, as “Design still needs humans. It is creative work,” Anand says. In customer service, the same balance appears. “AI flags common complaints and tells us where to retrain staff. Managers know where to intervene,” he says.

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