How to build a workforce transformation strategy for the AI era

If there’s one thing modern HR professionals can agree on, it’s that your people are your greatest asset.

However, as AI increasingly becomes a part of everyday work, the ways in which HR supports growth, engagement, and professional relevance are also changing.

On the one hand, many people are uncertain about how AI is changing their roles and what it means for their future. On the other hand, according to Gallup, “the proportion of employees using AI daily has risen from 10% to 12%.” But without clear guidance or policies, some people are hesitant to share how they’re using AI at work.

AI is already part of how work gets done across many roles, and for those using it, it’s clear it’s not here to replace human work. 

Instead, AI is a tool that enhances the unique value people bring, supercharging their work. Research has found that using AI saves “the equivalent of a full workday per week”, while 1 in 4 jobs are expected to be transformed by the technology. 

That means your business’s success depends on the people you employ and their ability to use these AI tools. HR’s central role in workforce planning now involves designing how AI can streamline the “time-consuming and tedious parts of [people’s] jobs,” so people can focus on higher-value work. 

A modern workforce planning strategy starts by identifying skills gaps and focuses on how investing in AI upskilling can drive positive, long-term business transformation.

Roles are already changing significantly as AI becomes part of everyday workflows. And there’s also an opportunity for AI tools to help prevent burnout, improve retention, and aid recruitment so your company can stand its ground in a crowded marketplace.

So, how can you identify those critical human skills that will keep your workforce supported and adaptable?

Key takeaways: Workforce skills in the age of AI

• AI is already reshaping how work gets done. As AI becomes part of everyday workflows, roles are evolving, and organizations need to rethink how skills are developed and applied.
• AI adoption depends on skills, not just tools. Investing in AI upskilling and digital literacy helps team members use AI effectively, responsibly, and with confidence in their daily work.
• Human skills remain critical in the age of AI. Skills like critical thinking, creativity, communication, and adaptability are becoming more valuable as AI supports routine and repetitive tasks.
• HR plays a central role in workforce readiness. By aligning learning and development with real workflows, HR can help build a workforce that is capable, adaptable, and prepared for ongoing change.
• AI is driving new roles and career paths. As AI reshapes entry-level work and creates new opportunities, organizations need to plan for evolving job structures, governance, and responsible use.
• Clear systems and guidance enable effective AI use. Providing your people with training, policies, and access to reliable data ensures AI supports better decision-making and consistent outcomes.
• Upskilling supports retention, performance, and long-term growth. When people feel equipped to work with AI, they are more engaged, more productive, and better prepared for the future of work.

#1 Integrate AI skills in your L&D

Professional skills are even more relevant in the age of AI. In fact, AI works best when people use it to augment these skills, creating a clear need to invest in upskilling your teams. For example:

• Software developers can find ways of using generative AI to write code faster
• Content professionals can use AI to edit copy more quickly and to identify structural or grammatical issues
• Project managers can use AI to help them manage complex timelines
• HR professionals can use it to automate processes like pay equity audits and onboarding workflows

As a result of these changes, it’s important to focus on AI literacy in your professional learning and development programs. Consider providing training to help people leverage AI tools in their day-to-day work, with customized courses tailored to specific departments or job roles. 

This is where many organizations get stuck. HiBob’s research found that 73 percent of organizations say they invest in upskilling, but only a fraction provide practical support (e.g., funded learning or protected practice time). To truly empower your people, L&D programs must move past vague concepts of “AI literacy” and offer hands-on, governed practice with the specific tools they’ll use every day.

But remember, this needs to be supported by clear guidelines, training, and access to reliable data so people can use AI effectively and responsibly.

#2 Focus on the human skills that are here to stay

No matter how intelligent AI seems, it doesn’t replace the human skills that drive how your organization thinks, collaborates, and innovates. AI can propose ideas and identify patterns quickly, but it still depends on human judgment to interpret, apply, and challenge those outputs. 

For your people, that means focusing efforts on the invaluable skills AI can’t replace:

1. Critical thinking
2. Creativity
3. Emotional intelligence
4. Digital literacy
5. Adaptability
6. Lifelong learning

HiBob research backs this up. The highest-valued AI skills aren’t technical at all. They’re deeply human capabilities. Employers rank proactively reviewing output quality and handling sensitive data appropriately as the most critical AI behaviors, above basic coding capabilities. The message here is clear: AI adoption is about empowering people to apply critical judgment, not about teaching everyone how to write software.

Armed with these skills, your people will naturally evolve their roles to fit seamlessly with the future needs of the business and the wider market. Staying ahead depends on emphasizing their importance in your training programs and recruitment profiles.

#3 Prepare for new AI-based positions

AI is contributing to the evolution of new and existing career paths as it reshapes the nature of entry-level work. 

PWC research found that organizations increasingly expect juniors to demonstrate more “senior” skills. But this doesn’t mean fast-tracking people into higher-level roles before they’re ready. It means rethinking what entry-level roles should look like in the AI era. As AI takes on many of the foundational tasks traditionally handled by juniors, the value of early-career roles is shifting toward AI governance, due diligence, creativity, and agentic orchestration.

In a similar vein, brand new specialist roles are hitting job boards around the world. Roles and job titles like AI Lawyer, Machine Learning Engineer, AI Project Manager, Deep Learning Engineer, and AI Solutions Architect, will continue to be part and parcel of everyday life—especially for your talent and acquisition teams.

Many organizations are introducing roles focused on AI governance, oversight, and responsible use of agentic tools in the flow of work. Introducing these roles to the business helps ensure that you stay compliant, that your AI systems align with your brand and security policies, and that they are fact-checked and ethically assessed.

Preparing for these changes now means you’ll be able to snap up the brightest talent and help existing team members upskill or pivot their careers.

Soft skills are here to stay, but AI training is key

As Harvard Business Review put it, “AI won’t replace humans — but humans with AI will.”

The soft skills that make your people valuable are only set to become more useful in the future, but it’s also important that your teams get up to speed with the ways in which AI tools support their day-to-day work.

Access to AI skills and training will increasingly play a role in equitable career development, too, so it’s important to get started now.

That means providing digital training and emphasizing how much you continue to value human skills. Done right, this approach is essential to building a more capable, confident, and adaptable workforce.