Financial Times column says AI agents will need human-style managers

In short: As companies use more AI agents for office work, the Financial Times argues they will still need “middle manager” roles to coordinate, check, and connect the work.

What's going on

A new Financial Times column makes the case that AI agents will not remove the need for coordination inside companies. AI agents are software tools that can take actions on your behalf, like drafting emails, updating records, or pulling information from different systems.

The column points to a common issue in large organizations, information is spread across many teams and tools. People often spend time moving data around, matching numbers, and making sure everyone is using the same version. The extra context here is that if the cost of moving and reconciling corporate information collapses, the jobs built around those tasks must change.

But “change” does not mean “disappear.” The column argues that even if AI makes the busywork cheaper and faster, someone still has to decide what the right goal is, which sources to trust, and what to do when two systems disagree. It is like having many fast assistants, you still need a supervisor to assign tasks, spot mistakes, and keep everyone working from the same plan.

What to watch

Companies are likely to invest more in oversight layers for AI work, including rules, checkpoints, and staff who review outputs before they affect customers or financial reports. A key question is whether these middle manager-style roles are done mostly by people, or by new software designed to monitor other software.

Source: Financial Times