Picture this: 200 HR leaders walk into the stunning Hall des Lumières in NYC (no, this isn't the start of a joke). What emerges is a day of candid conversations about AI that will shape the future of 7.5M employees. Here's what happened when some of the brightest minds in HR got real about AI.

For more insights from our AI & the Workforce Summit, register for a virtual summit session on December 4th or 5th.

_{Editor’s Note: Quotes have been condensed and edited for readability and clarity.} 

[[button-cta]]

1. The Future's got a fog advisory

Remember the last time you drove through thick fog? That's exactly how Geoffrey Hinton, the "Godfather of AI" (and fresh Nobel Prize winner), described our ability to predict AI's impact. We can see clearly for the next few years, but beyond that? Total whiteout. Just like you can't see past 200 yards in dense fog, we can't predict what our AI-powered workplaces will look like in 2034. 

2. The "Wait and See" strategy is so 2023

Bill McNabb, former Vanguard CEO, puts it bluntly: waiting to see how AI plays out is like watching your competitors sprint while you're still tying your shoelaces. Remember when some companies thought they could "wait out" the internet? (Spoiler alert: it didn't end well.) 

3. Experimentation and curiosity are everything

Perhaps the most common refrain of that day was the importance of fostering curiosity, both in yourself as a leader and in the DNA of the organization. WPP's Chief People Officer Lindsay Pattison suggests we need to build more AI optimism and diffuse AI anxiety in the workplace.  Think less "robots are coming for our jobs" and more "how can we use AI to work in new and better ways?" 

4. Effectiveness > Efficiency 

As companies and their people begin to experiment with AI, the most valuable thing to measure is adoption and increased effectiveness, not bottom-line efficiency gains. Former Google VP Prasad Setty uses a framework he calls the four E's for what to focus on with an AI implementation: Effectiveness, Efficiency, Experience, and Equity. But here's the plot twist – efficiency should be your last priority. Focus first on making the experience so good that people actually want to use it. 

5. Will CHROs become Chief Work Officers?

As AI matures as a technology, it will no longer just be people doing the work, it will also be AI agents and tools. How do we deconstruct jobs and reaggregate the work to be done to the right places? Prudential's CHRO Lucien Alziari suggests HR will not just be about managing humans anymore – it will be orchestrating a symphony of human talent, AI capabilities, and organizational purpose. We may even see a new acronym emerge as CHROs become Chief Work Officers.  

6. The infinite game of human potential

We hear a lot about AI automating away jobs, but the savings from cutting labor costs are fine. The bigger opportunity is for AI to augment human potential. Here the value that can be unleashed is effectively limitless. 

7. AI: Your new personal learning concierge

Remember the one-size-fits-all training programs we all pretended to love? AI is flipping that script and taking us from learning and development that is the equivalent of mass-produced clothing to custom-tailored suits. In the post-internet world of information overload, AI-driven personalized learning will make it possible for each of us to better filter, distill and apply knowledge and concepts to specific situations. 

8. Not all AI is created equal

As more AI tools, applications, and solutions are developed, it’s important to understand that not all purpose-built AI is created equal – the more context an AI has, the more value it is capable of delivering. Delta's Tim Gregory breaks down AI like a wine connoisseur: you've got your table wine (basic AI), your nice bottles (organization-aware AI), your premium vintages (custom-trained models), and your rare collections (advanced reasoning models).

9. Change Management is dead (Long live change movement!)

When it comes to AI, former IBM CHRO Diane Gherson declared traditional change management as dead as the fax machine. While at IBM, Diane rolled out an AI HR business partner that received 1.65 million inquiries per year. The key to success: instead of forcing change from above, she created a movement from within. It's less "you must use this" and more "you won't want to miss this!"

10. Reaching the front line (without breaking a sweat)

Frontline managers have the greatest impact on the lived experience of both employees and customers of large organizations. However, supporting frontline managers has typically felt like trying to high-five everyone in a stadium. WIth AI, HR leaders can finally reach the front lines with coaching that improves their ability to lead teams and serve customers. As former CEO of Vanguard Bill McNabb notes, when you nail the people side, the business results follow.

11. Beyond the skills checklist 

When it comes to performance and talent management, HR has largely focused on skills: assessing if someone is good or bad at a single thing. But no leader thinks of their people as a collection of skills because people and their relationships at work are inherently complex. NYU's Dr. Anna Tavis and Schneider Electric's Tina Kao Mylon explain that, as AI captures more and more context, we will go from "Can they do X?" to "How do they thrive in situation Y while collaborating with team Z?" It's the equivalent of switching from checkers to 3D chess.

Want more? Register for our virtual AI summit

Want more insights from our AI & the Workforce Summit? Join us virtually on December 4th or 5th. Because let's face it – the future of work waits for no one, and these conversations are just getting started.

[[big-cta]]