Artificial intelligence (AI) agents have gained momentum across Malaysian organizations, according to new Workday research.
The global AI platform said in a statement on last Wednesday that its research showed that while AI agents are gaining ground in the Malaysian workplace, employees still want clear boundaries.
74 percent of workers in Malaysia are comfortable teaming up with AI agents—but only 23 percent say they are comfortable being managed by one.
This signals a key challenge for businesses here: how to embrace the power of AI without losing the human touch.
The research also highlighted widespread optimism is driving the rapid adoption of AI agents into core operations among Malaysian businesses, particularly in finance and human resource (HR).
Malaysian leaders and employees strongly believe in AI agents’ potential to boost organizational productivity, operational efficiency, and employee experience, with rapid returns on investment.
However, ethical, security, and governance concerns remain the primary barriers to broader adoption, far outweighing technical or financial challenges.
Despite 83 percent of organizations in Malaysia expanding their use of agents, employees are clearly drawing a line between how they are and are not willing to work with AI.
“We’re entering a new era of work in Malaysia where AI can be an incredible partner for organizations today, complementing human judgement, leadership, and empathy,” said Jess O’Reilly, general manager, ASEAN, Workday.
“It is important that we rely on AI as a partner, not a leader, in order to unlock its productivity potential while driving trust,
“To do so, Malaysian organizations need to be intentional in how AI is used and keep people at the center of every decision,” she added.
The research also showed that three out of four employees in Malaysia (74 percent) are very comfortable with AI agents working alongside them and recommending new skills, preferring them in collaborative roles — but only 23 percent are comfortable with an AI agent managing them.
A mere 9 percent are comfortable with AI agents operating in the background without human knowledge.
Thus, establishing clear boundaries for AI and transparency are key to building employee trust and driving greater adoption.
AI agent solutions should also be designed to keep humans in control of sensitive decision-making areas.
Despite high levels of adoption and confidence in its potential, ethical risks — including bias, discrimination, and misuse — are perceived as the most significant challenge to introducing AI agents into the Malaysian workforce.
Concerns around ethical issues (53 percent) far outweigh other implementation challenges such as technical gaps (12 percent), emotional factors (12 percent), and financing (10 percent).
Clear communication, supported by robust governance frameworks, will be instrumental in building trust when deploying AI agents in workplaces.
Meanwhile, more than half of respondents in Malaysia indicated a need for strict human oversight when it comes to regulating autonomous AI agents, highlighting a strong
consensus for principled and hands-on governance.
Furthermore, there is overwhelming agreement (97 percent) that the management responsibility of these AI Agents should lie with information technology (IT) or technology functions.
In Malaysia, nearly all (94 percent) respondents believe AI agents will increase their productivity and 86 percent agree it will help their organization innovate more rapidly.
However, many are also concerned that these productivity gains will lead to a decline in critical thinking (51 percent), diminish the quality of human interaction (47 percent), and increase pressure to work faster (37 percent).
This underscores the need for thoughtful implementation that prioritizes employee well-being.
According to the research, most employees in Malaysia see agents as teammates, not full members of the workforce.
Trust in AI also depends heavily on the task; it is highest for collaborative or supportive functions such as IT support and skills development and lowest for sensitive decision-making areas like hiring, finance, and legal matters, underscoring the need for human oversight and accountability.
With the industry facing a shortage of CPAs and finance professionals, more than half (52 percent) of finance workers believe AI agents will help close the gap and only 12 percent are worried about job loss.
The top uses for AI agents in Finance include fraud detection (38 percent), forecasting and budgeting (29 percent), and audit support (24 percent).
This research underscores a crucial path forward: to harness the potential of AI, organizations in Malaysia must focus on building trust through transparency and empowering their people. This isn’t just about deploying new technology, said the statement.
It is about thoughtfully designing a future where AI agents enhance human capabilities, enabling a more productive and fulfilling work experience for all, it noted.