---
id: "quote-human-role-shift"
type: "quote"
source_timestamps: ["§ The Human Layer"]
tags: ["future-of-work", "roles"]
related: ["concept-human-role-ownership", "concept-human-role-verification"]
speaker: "Harang Ju"
speakers: ["Harang Ju"]
quote: "The answer isn’t “nothing.” It’s the work that agents can’t or shouldn’t do: defining what success looks like, making judgment calls that involve values and tradeoffs, handling exceptions that fall outside normal parameters... and remaining accountable when things go wrong."
sources: ["agentic"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-agentic"
originDay: 6
articleStem: "hbr-ext-17-workplace-set-up-for-agents"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/01/is-your-workplace-set-up-for-ai-agents"
sourceTitle: "Is Your Workplace Set Up for AI Agents?"
---
# The Shift in Human Roles

Defining what humans will do once agents handle execution and coordination; see [[concept-human-role-ownership]] and [[concept-human-role-verification]].

> The answer isn't "nothing." It's the work that agents can't or shouldn't do: defining what success looks like, making judgment calls that involve values and tradeoffs, handling exceptions that fall outside normal parameters... and remaining accountable when things go wrong.

— [[entity-harang-ju|Harang Ju]]