In my latest Workday Goal podcast, John Bruce from OneDigital shared valuable insights on AI’s role in the Workday ecosystem.

“AI isn’t coming, it’s here”

John emphasized that we should view AI as “collaborative and not authoritative.” This addresses the concern many have that AI will replace jobs rather than enhance them.

John uses Microsoft Copilot to refine his emails, sometimes asking it to “soften the tone” of his naturally direct communication style. This enables professionals to grow by leveraging AI as a collaborative tool.

As Josh Bersin noted in his research, 2025 was “the year of the rise of the super worker.” By year’s end, professionals who embrace AI tools will outpace those who don’t. As the saying goes, “AI won’t replace your job, but people using AI effectively will replace you if you’re not using it too.”

AI Enhancements in Workday

John highlighted several AI-driven improvements:

1. Smart Search: Workday now recognizes misspelled names. OneDigital Workday user’s have thanked John because “Workday now understands my spelling like a five-year-old.”
2. Task Recognition: If someone searches for “promotion” instead of “change job,” Workday suggests the correct task.
3. Knowledge Articles: With case deflection capability, relevant Workday help articles appear when employees search, reducing support tickets.

Custom AI Solutions: Meet Carly

OneDigital created Carly, their “benefits coworker.” Employees can ask questions like “What is my deductible?” and she pulls information from Workday, communicates with providers, and creates cases when necessary.

“Every case she satisfies is one less thing my benefits team handles,” John explained.

Workday Everywhere

John noted how Workday has evolved to embrace cross-platform functionality. The Microsoft Teams and Slack integrations allows employees to request time off without leaving these tools.

Six years ago, this would have seemed impossible. Now it’s transforming how people engage with Workday.

Conclusion

AI in isn’t about replacing workers—it’s about making work more efficient. Whether through Workday AI features or custom solutions like Carly, the future involves collaboration with AI tools.

As John put it, AI has “that transformational ability to revolutionize the way we work and do it for the better.”