Access reviews for AI agents
Access Reviews for AI Agents After Workday’s C1.ai Deal
Introduction
Your next access review may list people who log in and agents that never do.
On 13 October 2026, Workday announced a definitive agreement to acquire C1.ai, an identity platform for people and AI agents. The deal is no reason to wait. Access reviews for AI agents are an audit question today, whichever tool you end up using.
This post explains what the C1.ai news means, how to review access for both people and agents, and the evidence auditors will ask for.
Key takeaways
Workday has signed an agreement to acquire C1.ai. That is an announcement, not a feature in your tenant today.
Agents need an owner, scoped access, an expiry and a review, just as people do.
Run one review cycle for people and agents, with the same core questions.
Auditors ask who approved access, what changed and when. Keep that evidence as you go.
Retest roles and approvals after every release, because access drifts.
Why access reviews for AI agents matter now
What was announced
On 13 October 2026, Workday said it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire C1.ai, according to Workday’s newsroom announcement. Workday says it aims to be the identity governance layer for people, money and agents. It also says C1.ai will extend its Agent System of Record from registering agents to governing what they can access across Workday and other systems.
<!-- SOURCE NEEDED: confirm expected closing date. One secondary source reports end of January 2027; Workday's release does not state it. --> <!-- SOURCE NEEDED: confirm which C1.ai capabilities will reach Workday customers, and when -->
What is not decided
The deal is signed, not completed. Workday has not said which C1.ai features will reach customers or when, so check with Workday for timing. Plan AI agent governance around what you control now: the access your people and agents already hold.
Why the next few weeks matter
Agents are arriving in Workday faster than review processes are changing. Autopilot agents are already in early access for some customers, and many teams face year-end audits soon. If your review covers only people, agents sit outside it.
Example: one review for people and agents
Illustrative, not a real customer.
A company runs a quarterly user access review on its Workday security groups. It now has two AI agents: one drafts recruiter outreach and one prepares finance entries. The security lead decides to review every account together, using one sheet and the same six questions.
In the sandbox, she finds that the finance agent can both prepare and approve a type of entry, which a person in that role could not. She removes the approval scope and adds segregation of duties testing to the quarterly plan. She then records the owner, scopes and expiry for each agent, and saves the signed decisions as Workday audit evidence.
Six questions for every account
Question | For people | For AI agents | Evidence to keep |
|---|---|---|---|
Who owns it? | Line manager | Named business owner | Owner name and date |
What can it access? | Security groups and role assignments | Scopes, systems, data it can read or change | Access list export |
Is it still needed? | Job change or leaver status | Use case still live or retired | Reviewer decision |
Who approved it? | Access request approval | Approval for each new scope | Approval record |
What did it do? | Sign-in and change logs | Action log with timestamps | Log extract |
Can it be removed? | Disable the account | Revoke access and pause the agent | Test showing removal works |
How PeopleFlow helps
An access review is only as good as the test that proves it worked. PeopleFlow’s no-code Workday testing includes 1000+ pre-built tests for HCM, Payroll, Finance and Integrations, which you can use to check that role and approval changes behave as intended after each release. Our Workday AI agents include Configuration, Report, Support, Testing and Integration agents. See the Workday testing page and the AI agents page. PeopleFlow is a Workday Innovation Silver Partner.
Frequently asked questions
What does Workday’s C1.ai acquisition mean for access reviews?
Workday has signed an agreement to acquire C1.ai and says it aims to govern access for people and AI agents. It is an announcement, not a feature in your tenant today. Keep running reviews with your current tools, and include agents now, so you are ready whichever way the product develops.
How do you do an access review for AI agents?
Treat each agent like an account with an owner. List what it can read and change, check each scope is still needed, and confirm someone approved it. Remove anything unused, then test that removal works. Repeat on a schedule and after every Workday release or agent change.
What evidence do auditors ask for in an access review?
Expect to show the access list at a point in time, who reviewed it, and each decision with a date. Keep approval records for access granted, and logs showing what changed. For agents, add the named owner and a record of what the agent did. Store it all where you can retrieve it quickly.
Should AI agents be in the same access review as employees?
Yes, use one cycle and one set of questions, with extra fields for agents such as owner, scopes and expiry. A single review makes gaps easier to see, such as an agent with more access than the person who owns it.
Conclusion
Access reviews for AI agents are already an audit question, whatever Workday and C1.ai deliver later. Give each agent an owner, scoped access and an expiry, review it alongside your people, and keep the evidence. Retest roles and approvals after each release so access does not drift. When you are ready to build that baseline, try PeopleFlow yourself or book a short demo.
