How desk workers in consumer products feel about agentic AI

These workers in consumer products say they are overwhelmed by the constant influx of information about agentic AI (75% compared with 61% overall) and the introduction of new tools in their workplace (80% compared with 64% overall, only among those respondents who use agentic AI).

The survey overall across sectors does show meaningful enthusiasm about agentic AI: 84% of employees are ready to embrace the technology in their role, though their feelings are tempered by concerns like those outlined above. Forward-thinking companies in consumer products should be focused on disruptive optimism, capitalizing on the thrill of the new while being mindful of the fear of the unknown.

Accelerating investments in technology, including agentic AI, are key to modernizing enterprises to be fit for the future, which includes enabling new ways for growth and productivity. Improvements to back-end processes like data usage, supply chain management and demand tracking — all popular early use cases — merely scratch the surface of what’s possible with the technology: Organizations have opportunities to transform themselves from end to end, extending far beyond transaction-heavy activities — to sales, marketing, commercial, finance and HR.

Through agentic AI, consumer products companies can better leverage independent decisioning and orchestration. This challenges executives to reimagine what their workers are doing and how they do it. But how do companies capitalize on technology with workforces that are simultaneously enthusiastic and overwhelmed?

The survey offers several answers:

• AI adoption is not just a technology rollout. The human process of redefining how AI and humans work together — the unity of toolset with skill set and mindset — must be addressed as well.
• Leaders who openly share their AI vision give employees the context and confidence they need to embrace change. Make people feel included in the journey with clear communication.
• Companies must provide structured, trusted programs that match employees’ hunger to learn, so that they do not feel adrift and on their own, without the context of how AI applies to their roles.

These solutions are not a matter of installing a new platform or data infrastructure — they require leadership. Yet our survey shows more red flags in this area that must be addressed.

Where does management fit in our agentic future?

People managers and supervisors in consumer products are more concerned than the overall average about how their teams are adapting to agentic AI and using it responsibly, as well as their own abilities to manage an increasingly AI-reliant workforce.

Another concern surfaces in the pipeline of talent among the workers who would be the managers of tomorrow. In this cohort of consumer products non-managers, 75% are more hesitant to pursue a supervisor role due to concerns about managing AI-augmented teams. For respondents overall, that figure falls to 63%.

This crisis of confidence may speak to the prevalence of “negative drift” in a sector where decision-making is slowing, and belief in the brand’s ability to lead is fading. Among many consumer products companies, strategies are focused around preserving their position rather than creating new value, and “innovation” may sound like a synonym for cost-cutting.

Consumer products managers need the tools to balance authority with trust and manage new human-AI dynamics. But beyond that, they need a vision for everyone to rally around and a strong change-management strategy to drive integration within the larger enterprise framework. Only then can they lead confidently in uncharted territory. Agentic AI presents a turning point that will redefine the nature of work more in one generation than the past two centuries combined. For those willing to seize the moment, it offers consumer products companies a way to redefine their prospects and their relationships with consumers.