The sun was shining on the open-air stage at Canva Create: Uncharted, but the conversation unfolding was anything but breezy. “This might have been a bad way of framing it,” joked moderator Mark Wilson, Global Design Editor at Fast Company, “but today’s session on human-machine collaboration is really about one big question: how will AI change the way we work?”

The question was not rhetorical. On stage sat Greg from Slack, Samantha from New Computer and John from Canva—each representing a different facet of the accelerating shift toward AI-powered workplaces. Together, they explored not only the technical capabilities but also the deeper implications of how AI agents are becoming part of our workflows, our cultures, and even our thought processes.

Defining the agent: beyond the assistant

Sam from New Computer kicked things off with a helpful analogy. On his way to the event, he needed to change a boarding pass and ended up at a Delta kiosk. “It made me think—agents have always been around. Support agents, sports agents—they act on your behalf. What’s changing now is that AI can do the same.”

This seemingly simple distinction opened up a much more profound discussion. While an assistant is typically a tool you interact with—someone who helps you think through problems or tasks—an agent acts more autonomously, often behind the scenes and sometimes without being directly prompted.

“There is a persona element to assistants,” Sam said. “They’re conversational, mirroring human support roles. But agents? They’re embodied programs that can act, coordinate, and scale without needing your constant attention.”

Greg added, “Agents are multi-party. They do not just work with one person—they can interact with your coworkers, your manager, even external collaborators. It’s a whole new layer of digital presence.”

Gossip, agents, and Slack etiquette

The transition from personal assistant to autonomous agent is especially relevant in platforms like Slack, where workplace collaboration is already deeply embedded.

“It is a natural extension,” Greg said. “I am sort of barking at people all day on Slack about things I need done.”

“I do not think I would want to work with you on Slack,” someone quickly shot back, drawing laughter from the crowd.

The joke revealed a deeper truth: the social norms of work platforms are evolving fast, and AI is becoming part of that dynamic. Slack is embracing this change through its AgentForce system, which brings proactive, intelligent support directly into the collaborative space.

“We got lucky,” Greg noted. “We’re already a collaboration platform. Now we’re figuring out how agents can add value—by anticipating needs, summarizing threads, or suggesting actions—without disrupting flow.”

The thoughtful assistant: DOT’s different direction

Not every AI company is diving headfirst into full automation. DOT, an AI assistant tool, takes a more reflective approach.

“We view the assistant primarily as someone who helps you think,” a DOT team member explained. “It presents you with findings, walks you through choices, and helps you gain clarity. That’s different from acting independently.”

Although DOT can go out and explore the internet unprompted, surfacing content you might find interesting, it still places the user in the decision-making seat. In other words, it’s a thinking partner, not a proxy.

This nuance—between helpfulness and control—raises critical questions. In a future filled with AI, do we always want things done for us, or do we still want help deciding how to proceed?

Designing the future: Canvas agentic evolution

As host of the event, Canva offered a broader vision—one rooted in consistency and empowerment.

“There is a lot we could say about the AI blow-up at Canva,” John joked, “but what is most exciting is how our mission hasn’t changed—regardless of the tech. From cloud, to mobile, to AI, and now agents, we are always building toward the same goal: helping people go from idea to outcome.”

He highlighted that Canva’s top bar now allows users to generate designs, images, presentations, and copy, with AI built directly into every step of the creative process.

“A lot of our job is to live in the future,” John said. “To understand how this technology is evolving—so our users don’t have to.”

Canva does not see AI agents as designers. They see them as accelerators of creativity—tools that remove friction, not agency.

Speed, scale, and the enduring need for judgment

As AI capabilities increase, another paradox is emerging: the challenge of choice. More isn’t always easier.

“You will soon be able to get 100 versions of an image or a research report in seconds,” said Greg. “The hard part won’t be creating—it will be reviewing, interpreting, and selecting.”

This new bottleneck—human judgment—is becoming the next frontier. According to Greg, the future lies in a deeply personalized AI: “One core assistant that holds your context, understands your work, knows your preferences—and helps you make smarter choices faster.”

The panellists agreed that we’re heading toward a world where distinctions between async and deep work, fast and slow thinking, blur. AI will not just be reactive; it will become anticipatory, helping workers not only complete tasks but navigate complexity.

As one speaker put it, “Just like humans, AI might answer a trivia question instantly—but it might still take hours to produce a good argument. And maybe that is how it should be.”

The session at Canva Create: Uncharted left the audience with more than just answers—it offered a vision. One where agents are not just behind screens but in our workflows, our choices, and even our habits. One where automation does not mean erasure but enhancement.

As AI moves from tool to teammate, the real challenge may not be keeping up with its speed—but learning how to slow down and think alongside it.

In the end, the future of work will not just be defined by what AI can do. It will be defined by what we, as humans, choose to do with it.