February 13, 2026
Cisco’s President Wants AI Agents to be Treated Like Co-Workers
Cisco President Jeetu Patel believes artificial intelligence should not simply be seen as a tool. Instead, he revealed in an interview with Euronews, AI agents should be treated like a “digital co-worker”. This belief is not limited to Cisco. Patel is very much singing from the same song sheet as other AI software vendors in the CX space and beyond.
Speaking about the pace of change, Patel outlined just how far AI-driven development has already progressed inside the company. Cisco has created a product written entirely using AI-generated code. Patel predicts, “By the end of ’26, we’ll have at least half a dozen products written with AI only”.
A Contradictory Message
The Cisco President believes the message for workers is not that AI will directly replace them, but that competitive advantage will shift towards those who use it most effectively. In his own words, he said, “Don’t worry about AI taking a job, but worry about someone using AI better than you, definitely taking a job.”
Yet this reassurance sits alongside claims that AI can dramatically reduce the number of human workers required for the same output. Patel suggests, for example, that a team of eight people could shrink to three humans supported by five digital agents, while still tripling productivity.
Treating AI as a Co-Worker
For now, human oversight remains necessary as traditional developers are still required to review AI-generated code before deployment. Patel also challenged the widely accepted concept of ‘human in the loop’ oversight, however. He argued instead we should look to ensure “AI is in every loop”, in order to reframe intelligent systems as digital co-workers rather than just tools.
Despite his enthusiasm for AI adoption, Patel acknowledges that the technology’s risks around security and governance remain significant. In the face of this, he suggests organisations should conduct background checks on AI agents acting in this new capacity as a co-worker, in the same way they would vet human employees.
While testing to ensure technologies are safe would be welcomed by anybody, his use of language to implicitly elevate AI to human status is what is concerning here. After all, AI only becomes a real danger when it has real power. Attempting to redefine AI on equal footing to humanity lays the foundation for exactly that.
AI Investment Pays Off
Cisco’s financial performance suggests that heavy AI investment is paying off. The company reported Q2 FY 2026 revenue of 15.3 billion dollars, a ten percent year on year increase. It also reported 2.1 billion dollars in AI infrastructure orders from hyperscalers, which it described as a significant acceleration in growth.
These results come despite two rounds of job cuts last year. The combination of rising revenue and reduced headcount reflects a pattern becoming increasingly visible across major technology firms.
A Familiar Story
Recent reporting has highlighted similar dynamics across the industry, in which organisations are expanding output while reducing staff numbers, with automation filling the gap. In the world of CX, a similar narrative is also being pushed at Salesforce, where increased AI adoption has coincided with further workforce reductions. Last year, Salesforce’s CEO, Marc Benioff, laid it out in black and white: “AI is doing 30 to 50 percent of the work at Salesforce now”.
It all points to a workplace where AI is not merely assisting humans but replacing or operating alongside them. Patel’s vision of background checks, embedded collaboration and digital co-workers is also a future in which his security nightmares could be made a reality.
