Workday has announced the expansion of its Illuminate platform with new artificial intelligence agents for human resources, finance, and industry, aiming to address longstanding challenges with integrating AI in business processes.
These agents are embedded directly into functional workflows for HR and finance activities, automating complex tasks such as performance reviews, workforce planning, and financial close.
The company said this approach helps organisations achieve measurable outcomes from their AI investments by transforming insight into actionable steps and automating routine processes.
AI adoption challenges
Despite a significant global increase in AI investment, recent research suggests many initiatives fail to move beyond pilot phases or deliver tangible business results.
An MIT study highlighted in Workday's release found that only 5% of organisations reported seeing a return on their AI investments, even as billions have been spent. These findings point to widespread challenges in operationalising AI and integrating it within standard business practice.
Jo-Anne Ruhl, Vice President and Managing Director for Workday Australia and New Zealand, commented on these trends, stating:
"Across industries, organisations are investing heavily in AI, yet research shows too many initiatives remain stuck in pilot mode, disconnected from how work actually gets done and failing to deliver meaningful outcomes. That's a missed opportunity, particularly when leaders are expected to demonstrate real returns on their AI investments.
The new Workday Illuminate agents for HR, Finance, and Industry change that. Embedded directly into core workflows, from performance reviews and workforce planning to financial close and contract management, these agents transform insight into action. They automate routine processes, freeing teams to focus on strategy, creativity, and meaningful interactions, while keeping people at the centre.
For leaders and teams across Australia and New Zealand, the lesson is clear: AI is not about isolated automation projects. It's about trusted, context-rich intelligence that complements human judgment, accelerates transformation, and enables smarter decisions in an era of constant change."
Agents for HR, finance, and industry
The new suite of Illuminate agents covers three core operational areas.
For HR, agents automate processes such as business process configuration, administrative case resolution, contract management for contingent labour, analysing employee sentiment, job architecture, and performance reviews. In finance, dedicated agents focus on cost and profitability modelling, financial close automation, and continuous financial testing to aid fraud detection and compliance efforts.
Industry-specific agents are also being released, including tools tailored to streamline academic requirements and administrative tasks within higher education. Each of these agents is designed to handle repetitive work, allowing employees to concentrate on tasks that require strategic thinking and human interaction.
Workday President, Product and Technology, Gerrit Kazmaier, commented on the distinction between Workday's approach and others in the market:
"Too many AI efforts amount to random acts of automation that never scale or deliver real value. The barrier of self-building AI on legacy systems and closed platforms is simply too high. Workday Illuminate is different. With purpose-built AI agents and a single, open enterprise platform, we're redefining ERP for the AI era – transforming it from a passive system of record into a system of action that drives real outcomes."
Reported efficiency gains
According to Workday, the impact of previously released agents is already being observed among customers.
For example, the Contract Intelligence Agent is reported to have reduced contract execution times by 65%, and the Frontline Agent has reduced the time spent on staffing changes by up to 90%. Early access customers using the Financial Audit Agent have reportedly saved as much as 900 hours annually on audit tasks. The Planning Agent has been cited as enabling a 30% reduction in data exploration and analysis time, equivalent to about 100 hours each month.
Subscription flexibility
Workday has also introduced a new subscription-based model called Workday Flex Credits.
This system is designed to provide organisations with immediate access to AI features, scalable growth in adoption, and universal flexibility across different agents and platform innovations. Customers receive an initial allocation of credits with their subscription, with the option to purchase more as their usage grows, and can use these credits for any available or future agents.
The new Illuminate AI agents are expected to be available in 2026, while Workday Flex Credits can be purchased immediately. The company stated that this approach ensures customers can adopt new AI capabilities at their own pace and scale their usage according to business needs.
