Dictionary entry
digital worker
also digital employee or digital colleague or AI employee or agentic coworker
Definition of digital worker
-
: a software-based worker, increasingly implemented as an AI agent, that is assigned a business role and carries out part or all of a work process with some degree of independence
- The insurer deployed a digital worker to review routine claims and escalate unusual cases to a human specialist.
- Every digital worker needs a named owner, limited permissions, and a retirement process just as other production systems do.
Two meanings, one word
In everyday English
A person whose work depends heavily on digital tools.
In AI
A software-based worker, increasingly implemented as an AI agent, that is assigned a business role and carries out part or all of a work process with some degree of…
Origin & history
Digital worker was used for human employees with digital skills before automation vendors applied it to software robots and intelligent automation. In the agentic AI era, vendors and enterprises increasingly use it for agents presented and managed as virtual employees or colleagues.
Editorial references
Sources & further reading
- What Is a Digital Worker?↗ IBM
- What Is a Digital Worker?↗ Salesforce
- The rise of the agentic coworker: A banking CIO's guide to the next wave of AI↗ McKinsey & Company · 2026-10-26
Test yourself
Which of these is the meaning of digital worker?
Cite this entry
"Digital worker." AI Dictionary, Dadgogo, https://dadgogo.com/dictionary/digital-worker/. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.