GenAI is rewriting the talent playbook, and your people remain the lead actors.
77% of CEOs say AI will significantly impact their industries within three years, and 62% believe it will define the next business era (Gartner, 2025). G-P reports that 84% of businesses are boosting AI investments, with CEOs forecasting a 17% productivity lift.
The productivity story looks great on paper. The talent story is messier.
The old playbook of linear career paths, rigid succession planning, and static role designs was already lagging behind digital transformation. It won’t withstand the unpredictability of GenAI.
There’s no single script for success, but from conversations with founders and scale-up leaders, here are six priorities worth focusing on:
1️⃣ Fear is real.
Even tech-savvy leaders admit unease. GenAI is reshaping work, roles, and careers, but the full impact on employment is uncertain. Add a sluggish economy, layoffs, and “AI stealing jobs” headlines, and you’ve got a recipe for anxiety. Without a human-centric approach e.g. empathy maps, co-creation, transparent expectations, resistance spreads faster than adoption.
2️⃣ Employability is the new currency.
In the AI era, keeping employees skilled means keeping them employed. McKinsey projects half of today’s work activities could be automated between 2030–2060, a decade faster than expected. You can’t just hire your way out. Upskilling and reskilling must become cultural. The good news: people join start-ups and scale-ups to learn fast. Lean into that.
3️⃣ Scenario-based workforce plans.
The smartest leaders treat talent like capital. They anticipate multiple futures, build plans around (AI) skills-not just headcount-and run scenarios. It’s not “how many engineers do we need?” but “what skills matter if AI reshapes the product, the customer journey, or sales?”
4️⃣ Role redesign.
AI delivers speed and scale. Humans bring judgment, empathy, and creativity. Some roles will shrink, new ones will or have emerged e.g. AI ethicists, AI trainers, Chief AI Officers. The leaders pulling ahead are redesigning work now so people focus on higher-value activities. Done right, AI amplifies human value.
5️⃣ Flexible recruitment.
Skills-based hiring isn’t new, but GenAI makes it urgent. What matters more: creativity, collaboration, problem-solving, EQ. Hiring for potential and adaptability sets you up to flex into whatever AI throws next.
6️⃣ AI literacy for leaders.
37% of senior leaders (Korn Ferry) believe successful leadership will require human-AI collaboration. That number will climb. Leaders don’t need to code, but they must interpret AI insights, lead augmented teams, and bridge tech with human needs.
There’s no one-size-fits-all. What really matters is how thoughtfully you navigate GenAI from a talent perspective and how you bring your people along for the journey.
