AI Agent Design Emerges as Critical Workplace Skill

By Kim Basile, Chief Information Officer at Kyndryl

For decades, ambitious tech professionals have mastered skills like coding and spreadsheet analysis to advance their careers. Now, designing AI agents is becoming the next essential talent, reshaping how work is done.

Thanks to low- and no-code tools, building AI agents is no longer limited to software engineers. Consultants, analysts, and managers can now create "digital colleagues" to automate tasks like:

• Digging up insights
• Drafting content
• Summarizing documents
• Surfacing real-time trends

Résumés of the future will not only highlight roles and skills but also showcase an individual's ability to build AI agents that drive productivity.

Building Trust Through AI Ownership

Empowering employees to design their own agents does more than enhance capabilities—it builds trust. When workers actively shape AI integration:

• AI transitions from a top-down mandate to a bottom-up tool
• Employees gain a sense of agency and control
• Resistance decreases while transparency increases
• AI feels more like a partner than a threat

This makes agent-building both a skills accelerator and a cultural lever for trust.

Challenges Remain for Enterprise Leaders

Despite AI's potential, workplace anxiety persists. According to Kyndryl's People Readiness Report:

• 45% of CEOs report employee resistance to AI
• 2 in 3 lack sufficient internal AI talent
• 45% are uncertain about future skill needs
• Only half feel prepared for AI-driven changes

As enterprises navigate this transformation, designing AI agents may prove to be the superpower that bridges the gap between human potential and technological advancement.