Workday’s New HR and Finance AI Agents Aim at Workflow AutomationWorkday’s New HR and Finance AI Agents Aim at Workflow Automation
Illuminate Agents focus on infusing AI into Workday’s core of work orchestration and operations.
Digital workplace service provider Workday has announced Illuminate Agents. These AI agents are centered around business orchestration and operations.
These new Illuminate Agents include:
Contingent Sourcing Agent – an agent for temporary hiring that helps identify and screen potential hires
Contract Intelligence Agent – an agent with legal and business decision-making capabilities in reviewing contracts, tracking key dates and fees, and ongoing analysis
Contract Negotiation Agent – an agent that drafts contracts while detecting risks and recommending revisions
Document Driven Accounting Agent – an agent that takes data from documents to automate billing, invoicing, and account entries
Frontline Agent - an agent that enables text-based absence reporting and can identify qualified replacements and ensure compliance and accurate shift pay
Self-Service Agent – an agent that answers queries, assists with tasks, and can complete everyday tasks for employees
Supplier Contracts Agent – an agent that reviews supplier contracts to identify obligations and opportunities
Workday’s AI agent portfolio also includes Business Process Optimize Agent, Financial Audit Agent, Payroll Agent, Recruiting Agent, and Telent Mobility Agent.
Workday VP Shane Luke said, “AI has been deeply integrated into our unified platform for HR and Finance for more than a decade. For us, this isn't a new add-on; it's fundamental to how our platform operates.”
Metrigy analyst Irwin Lazar said, “Workday is in a unique spot in that they are delivering agents specifically focused around their core product of work orchestration and operations whereas a lot of their competitors are more siloed focusing specifically in areas like HR, supply chain, CRM, customer service, etc.”
Guardrails and Training
Luke says that Workday’s AI agents go through consistent risk evaluation and that businesses can manage and monitor agents through the Workday Agent System of Record. This system allows businesses to define agent capabilities, control data access, ensure operational compliance, and maintain visibility and governance over Workday’s AI agents.
Workday also offers support and learning resources for businesses to train employees on how to effectively and safely use AI agents. These include help channels, user community forums, and training programs, as well as the ability to obtain Workday Accreditation. Workday also offers a free virtual AI class for responsible AI use.
The training options will help customers successfully adopt agentic AI-powered workflows. As enterprise communication practitioners reported recently, training was crucial for successful AI adoption in the enterprise. And as No Jitter’s Matt Vartabedian reported last month, under-investment in upskilling and retraining and actually changing workflows is one of the biggest reasons AI initiatives falter.
Agent Availability Will Vary
Contract Intelligence Agent and Contract Negotiation Agent are available generally. Self-Service Agent will be generally available by the end of 2025. Contingent Sourcing Agent, Document Driven Accounting Agent, Frontline Agent, and Supplier Contracts Agent will be available to early adopters by the end of 2025 and generally available in early 2026.
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