Enterprise cloud platform Workday announced on Sept. 16 new Workday Illuminate agents for human resources, finance, and industry, as well as a new subscription-based consumption model called “Flex Credits.”
The new artificial intelligence agents take on some of the most complex processes—like performance reviews, workforce planning, and financial close—helping organizations work smarter, faster, and with greater confidence, the San Francisco-based company said.
“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,” Gerrit Kazmaier, president of product and technology at Workday, said in a statement. “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.”
Workday said its Illuminate agents transform processes like hiring, performance, planning, and financial close into more efficient, strategic outcomes. Designed to work alongside people, these agents handle repetitive, time-consuming tasks so employees can focus on higher-value work.
The new Illuminate for HR agents include:
- Business Process Copilot Agent: Automates the implementation, configuration, and setup of new business processes to reduce time and manual effort.
- Case Agent: Automates administrative tasks to help reduce resolution times, increase operational efficiency, and provide enhanced employee experience.
- Document Intelligence for Contingent Labor Agent: Accelerates statement of work creation, tracks obligations, and promotes alignment across contracts to help drive savings and mitigate risk.
- Employee Sentiment Agent: Empowers people leaders by continuously analyzing employee feedback to provide insights and take action at scale.
- Job Architecture Agent: Automates the creation and management of job ladders to drive alignment, agility, and scalable growth.
- Performance Agent: Analyzes performance data from various enterprise applications to streamline reviews and recommend actions.
The Illuminate for Financials agents include:
- Cost and Profitability Agent: Simplifies cost and profitability setup by allowing users to define allocation rules and drivers using natural language to help them gain richer insights.
- Financial Close Agent: Streamlines the financial close process with automation and real-time visibility, helping transform it into a simplified and efficient workflow.
- Financial Test Agent: Continuously tests financials to help detect fraud and enable compliance, providing continuous insight into an organization’s financial health.
The Illuminate for Industry agents simplify specialized workflows. They include:
- Academic Requirements Agent: Automates the creation of academic requirements for institutions, designed to significantly reduce implementation hours.
- Student Administration Agent: Automates repetitive administrative student tasks and provides intelligent assistance throughout the student lifecycle.
Workday Flex Credits
Workday last week also introduced Workday Flex Credits, a new subscription-based consumption model designed to make AI simple, flexible, and scalable. Flex Credits are included in every subscription, can be applied universally across agents and platform innovations, and grow as customers’ needs evolve, the company said.
Key benefits of Workday Flex Credits include:
- Built-in access: Customers receive an initial allotment of Flex Credits as part of their Workday subscription, renewed annually.
- Scalable growth: Organizations can add more credits as their AI usage expands—with no complicated tiers or hidden fees.
- Universal flexibility: Flex Credits are fully fungible, enabling customers to apply them across Workday agents and platform innovations as business needs change.
The Workday Illuminate agents will be available in 2026. Workday Flex Credits are currently available to purchase.
More information about Workday Flex Credits can be found here.
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