Office AI superusers reshape work around AI agents, FT reports

In short: A small group of “AI superusers” are rebuilding their workdays around AI agents, while most workers use AI for basic tasks.

What's going on

A Financial Times report describes a growing split in how people use AI at work. A Deloitte survey of 25,000 UK employees found only about a quarter use AI tools every day. The most common uses are simple, like searching for information, writing emails, checking facts, and making summaries.

A smaller group uses AI much more deeply. Microsoft’s 2026 Work Trend Index report says 16 per cent of AI users are “superusers”. It says they use “AI agents” (software helpers that can take actions for you, like an assistant), redesign their workflows, and teach others in their organisation.

Some leaders treat an agent like a chief of staff. Microsoft executive Pamela Maynard said her agent keeps track of priorities, calendar, and boundaries, and can even challenge her choices, like working on a Sunday. Angela Tangas, who leads UK agency Oliver, built an “Ask Ange” agent to answer common questions from her team, but she says it still hands off complex issues to the real CEO.

Other examples include lawyers using specialist AI tools to pull together past advice and current emails, helping them get further before asking senior colleagues. Notion CEO Ivan Zhao compared the shift to moving from a marching band to a jazz group, with agents handling repetitive work so people can focus on discussion and decisions.

What to watch

Several leaders warned that human oversight still matters. If AI increases output but people must review much more work, the bottleneck simply moves. Leaders also stressed that time saved should go into mentoring and real conversations, not just more tasks.

Source: Financial Times