347: Will AI Agents Redefine Automation? Balancing Autonomy and Guardrails with Bhaskar Roy, Chief of AI Products and Solutions at Workato

Send us Fan MailBhaskar Roy is the Chief of AI Products & Solutions at Workato, the workflow automation leader with more than 11,000 customers and a $5.7 billion valuation. He has been with the company for nearly 11 years, previously serving as CMO. A serial head of products, Bhaskar co-founded Qik, which was acquired by Skype in 2011 for $150 million and later by Microsoft for $8.5 billion, and later held leadership roles at Playphone. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the Birla Institute of Technology in Mesra, India.In this conversation, we discuss:Bhaskar’s journey from co-founding Qik to leading AI products at Workato, and why a lightbulb moment convinced him to pivot from marketing back to product innovationWhat Bhaskar learned from building products that scale globally and how those lessons shape his view on AI’s real-world impactWhy Bhaskar sees AI agents as the next leap beyond low-code automation and how they orchestrate complex business processesThe balance between deterministic workflows and AI’s reasoning capabilities, and how to maintain human oversightHow enterprises can move beyond AI experiments at the fringes to transformative use cases that deliver measurable ROIThe cultural shift required to embrace AI in the workplace, from reducing fear of automation to unlocking new opportunities for employeesResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Bhaskar on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How to Help Companies Push Boldly Into The FuturePast episodes with amazing guests from Workato:Interview with Vijay Tella, CEO of WorkatoInterview with Carter Busse, CIO at Workato-Join Dan Turchin and 4 seasoned technology and people leaders on Sept. 17 for an executive discussion on AI, leadership, and the future of work. Attendees will receive a complimentary personalized AI Maturity Industry Benchmarks Report ($499 value). Reserve your seat: https://go.peoplereign.io/virtual-event-when-intelligence-is-everywhere-intelligence-is-nowhere