Coexisting with AI: Who’s in charge?

At the Fast Company Innovation Festival, Hyland EVP and Chief Product Officer Mike Campbell joined Wayfair CTO Fiona Tan and Universal VP of Digital Innovation Thomas Geraghty to tackle a critical question: Who’s accountable when AI agents act?

“We cannot abdicate accountability. People will need to be involved, and these agents must be auditable and observable,” Campbell emphasized.

The conversation began with data: Organizations can’t be “in charge” if their knowledge is fragmented. Campbell stressed that control starts by governing the 80% of enterprise content that’s unstructured — contracts, invoices, emails — so AI agents reason over facts you own, especially in regulated industries.

The panel drew a clear line between autonomy and accountability. AI agents are already driving ROI in areas like service and marketing, but high-stakes decisions still require humans in the loop with observable, explainable steps.

The most effective model is hybrid: Centralize knowledge, define decision rights with clear escalation triggers, then deploy agents at decision points to accelerate workflows — while preserving human judgment when risk is high.

In his Fast Company article, Hyland President and CEO Jitesh S. Ghai challenges the narrative that AI will usher in mass unemployment. Instead, he makes the case for a more balanced, future-focused perspective: AI should replace busywork, not people.

While employees are anxious about AI’s potential to disrupt jobs, history shows that major technological shifts — from automation to the cloud — have consistently reshaped work rather than eliminated it. AI offers the same opportunity, redirecting human energy from repetitive tasks to strategic, creative and high-value contributions.

To ensure AI works for people, not against them, leaders should focus on three priorities:

• Think beyond the chatbot: AI is more than a customer-facing tool. Embedded deeply into enterprise systems, it can automate document analysis, flag anomalies and support millions of decisions every day.

• Shift people higher up the value chain: When AI is used strategically — not just as a cost-cutting tool — it frees teams to focus on innovation, problem-solving and lasting impact.

• Leverage clarity as a catalyst: Transparency and ongoing upskilling build trust and confidence, ensuring employees understand how AI is reshaping their roles and equipping them to thrive.

Ultimately, leaders are urged to reframe the question. The future of work isn’t about “doing more with fewer people,” but about enabling people to do their most meaningful work.

Through strategically deployed AI, organizations can unlock new levels of innovation, creativity and problem-solving — while keeping people at the heart of every outcome.

Success with AI isn’t defined by the technology itself but by how well people are empowered to use it. Research by Hyland and Walker Sands showed that while 98% of employees express interest in AI training, only a fraction have the expertise to apply it effectively.

This gap is already shaping outcomes. Companies investing in upskilling, reskilling and user-friendly tools are accelerating adoption, while others risk being left behind. Closing this divide is essential to creating a workforce ready for the AI era.

AI is proving its value across industries — automating repetitive processes to boost efficiency and freeing people to focus where they deliver the most impact: Strategy, innovation and problem solving.

The lesson is clear. Organizations embracing AI as a partner will empower their people to reach higher, move faster and deliver more meaningful outcomes. The future of work belongs to businesses that put people at the center of AI and give them the tools, training and confidence to turn disruption into opportunity.