Workday agreed to buy C1.ai, a tool that controls which people and AI agents can reach company apps and data, and the move points to a gap many firms share.
Workday, the company known for business software that handles workforce tasks, has agreed to acquire C1.ai. C1.ai makes a platform that decides who, and what, can get into a company's apps and systems. The "what" now includes AI agents, which are software tools that carry out tasks on their own.
C1.ai manages access for both employees and AI agents. That covers everyday tools such as email and project management apps. The idea is that permissions follow the person. When a worker changes roles or leaves the company, their access would update automatically instead of waiting on someone to do it by hand.
Deloitte says 95% of large U.S. companies use AI agents, but only 21% report governing them well. In plain terms, many firms have software acting inside their systems without a clear record of what it can see or touch.
Gerrit Kazmaier, Workday's president of product and technology, said: "Today's companies run on a combined workforce of people and AI agents." C1.ai CEO Alex Bovee said companies "can't rely on outdated IT practices" in the AI era.
The material does not give a price, a closing date or a timeline for when C1.ai's features will show up inside Workday. It also does not say whether smaller businesses will be able to buy the combined product, or what it will cost them. The coverage notes that blending the two systems may bring early hurdles. It also says staff will need clear communication, and that smaller firms may face budget limits.
No purchase is needed to act on the lesson. If your business uses AI tools, ask who or what can see your data. Then check whether access is removed when staff leave. Those two questions are the same ones this deal is built to answer.
If your business uses AI tools, find out what each one can access and make sure that access ends when a staff member leaves.
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