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Shane Szarkowski Editor-in-Chief
Don’t lose sight of the future of education and work
What’s next for education and work? Not long ago, when we asked that question people were likely to talk about transforming education or the relationship between degrees, skills, and the rapidly evolving workplace. Today, those conversations feel as though they’ve largely been set to the side as we focus on more immediate challenges. Geopolitical disruptions and an even further acceleration of technological innovation have distracted us from thinking about, in a systemic sense, what the future of education and work should look like.
We cannot let ourselves become so distracted by what is happening today that we lose sight of what needs to be done to usher in a future of robust, resilient, inclusive education and work ecosystems. The pressures impacting the world today also affect the future of education and work, but they aren’t truly new pressures. Instead, they illustrate how long–standing vulnerabilities in our systems are made much worse as global pressures evolve.
Rather than distracting us, the polycrisis pressures at play today should redouble our resolve to truly set the stage to help the future of education and work arrive well. If we don’t, those futures could be very fraught, indeed.
Diplomatic Courier asked its network of World in 2050 experts to reflect on the core, systemic issues impacting education and work. We asked them how current events change things. Are we nearing a breakthrough moment? A crisis moment? What priorities should public or private stakeholders shift, compared to conventional wisdom only a year or two ago, to get us back on track for a future of education and work that arrives well.
We are excited to share this digital anthology on the future of education and work, full of insights from our network. We hope you find it useful.
As ever, thank you for reading!
Tarja Stephens
Image via Adobe Stock.
Education’s watershed moment has arrived
By Sean Slade
Image via Adobe Stock.
Living through a period of profound transformation, and education is finally being swept into its currents. Long resistant to change, education systems have often acted more like a ship’s anchor rather than a sail, rooted in beliefs and practices well past their use–by dates. Now, however, societal shifts and technological advances—particularly the rise of AI—are forcing a reevaluation of education’s purpose and process.
Transforming education has been debated since the turn of the century, yet the one thing holding much of this change back, is our core belief of what education ‘is.’ Until we change our fundamental rationale for education we will be constantly trying to fix problems using an obsolete mindset. Traditionally, education has been built around the core belief that its primary function is to teach the “three R’s” reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic. This model emphasized the accumulation of content knowledge and rote memorization, often reducing learning to a process of content delivery and absorption. But in an era of instant access to information, such a model is no longer sustainable, nor sufficient.
If the old mindset held that education was about content, the new mindset must see it as about discovery. Rather than asking students to memorize historical dates or mathematical formulas, schools should empower them to explore ideas, investigate problems, and develop solutions. The role of education must shift from transmitting knowledge to cultivating curiosity, critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity. It is a shift from learning content to learning discovery.
Much like the outdated image of a London cabbie memorizing every street, students today no longer need to hold vast amounts of data in their heads. They need to know how to find, assess, and use information. As futurist Nassim Nicholas Taleb argues, we must become more adaptable in a world that is increasingly volatile and unpredictable. Education must therefore embrace flexibility, ambiguity, and openness to change.
EDUCATION SYSTEMS ARE TRADITIONALLY RESISTANT TO CHANGE, BUT SOCIETAL SHIFTS AND TECH ADVANCES ARE FORCING A REEVALUATION OF THE PURPOSE AND PROCESS OF EDUCATION. IT’S AN OPPORTUNITY TO THINK OF THE “WHY” OF LEARNING INSTEAD OF JUST THE “WHAT.”
Imagine education as a solar system. For the last century, the “What”—content— has been at the center. But in this new age, the “Why” must be the core, with “How,” “When,” “Where,” “Who,” and “What” orbiting around it. The successful citizens of the future won’t be those who merely know things—they will be those who can solve, discover, and adapt.
To reach that future, we must discard the outdated belief that education is about content acquisition. The shift we need is not just structural, but philosophical. We must build a culture of discovery—a new foundation for learning that prepares students not for our past, but for their future.
About the author: Sean Slade is a global education leader, speaker, author, and policymaker, with over 25 years’ experience spanning five countries and four continents.
Education at the margins of global affairs, again
By Euan Wilmshurst
Photo by Ken Haines from Pixabay.
It wasn’t long ago that education was enjoying a brief moment in the spotlight. In 2022, the UN Secretary–General’s Transforming Education Summit marked a rare moment when education rose to the top of the international agenda. It captured a growing consensus that urgent change was needed—and in many cases agreement about what that change looks like—to address a deepening global crisis.
Sidelined Once Again
Just three years later, education has again been pushed to the margins. As conflict, climate shocks, democratic decline, trade and economic turmoil, and inequality dominate global discourse, education is too often framed as a sector to be managed, rather than a foundational force shaping other systems.
A Foundational System, Not Just Another Issue
This is a mistake. Education is not just one issue among many. It runs through everything: preparing young people not just to take part in the economy, but for society, for citizenship, for climate resilience, for peace and wellbeing.
Yet we continue to invest in systems not designed for the world we live in—let alone the one that’s coming. Too often, these systems are disconnected from the needs, identities, and aspirations of today’s learners. As a result, we are sleepwalking into crisis. If we’re serious about preparing young people for an uncertain, turbulent future, we must prioritize education not just in word but in action.
The Skills Children Need to Thrive
We need to rethink education so children have the skills to thrive today and tomorrow. Skills that start with reading and writing, but go further—to include creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, confidence, resilience, empathy, and the ability to solve real–world problems. These are not luxuries. They are essential.
IF WE’RE SERIOUS ABOUT PREPARING YOUNG PEOPLE FOR AN UNCERTAIN, TURBULENT FUTURE, WE MUST PRIORITIZE EDUCATION NOT JUST IN WORD BUT IN ACTION.
What Needs to Change
This means three things:
1. Grounding education policy and funding in the lived realities of children and teachers, not distant agendas.
2. Shifting power and resources to those closest to the work—who are leading innovation and change.
3. Making education everyone’s business—from climate to finance, from diplomacy to technology—because without education, none of our global goals are achievable.
This is not a moment to tinker at the edges. It’s a moment to center education in big conversations about our shared future. If we miss it, we risk losing a generation not only to poor learning, but to fractured societies and growing divides.
It’s time to stop asking whether education should be a global priority—and start acting like it already is.
About the author: Euan Wilmshurst is a board-level strategic advisor and Non-Executive Director with experience spanning a 30-year career, working at the intersections of education, climate, and philanthropy.
Fix crisis education financing gap or risk “lost generations”
By Yasmine Sherif
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash.
Over the last five years, the number of armed conflicts in the world has doubled, with civilians bearing the brunt of the surge in violence. At the same time climate change is causing more frequent and extreme weather events, meaning more and more people are being displaced by floods, cyclones and droughts. As a result, nearly 250 million school–aged children impacted by crises now require support to complete their education, up from 75 million a decade ago. We need to urgently step up our support to pull these children back from the brink.
However, while needs are increasing, funding for education in emergencies and protracted crises has declined in recent years. The UN–backed humanitarian education appeals aimed to mobilize $3.1 billion last year, a downfall from $3.7 billion in 2023. Unfortunately, financial investment in education during protracted humanitarian crises has not been sufficient to make up for the shortfall: while aid to low–income countries increased throughout the 2010s, it fell by four percentage points in recent years, primarily due to the impacts of the COVID–19 pandemic.
According to UNESCO, there is a $100 billion annual financing gap to achieve the education targets in low– and lower–middle income countries between 2023 and 2030, putting the world off track to achieve SDG target 4 and related SDG’s (ending extreme poverty or gender equality). Without universal pre–primary, primary, and secondary education by 2030, we may soon lose several generations. This will impact all SDGs and reinforce a continued dependency on humanitarian aid. Local empowerment, national empowerment, opportunities to arise out of poverty and ending severe gender inequalities demand education, or else these will remain illusions. Education is the very foundation to address a multitude of challenges.
Today, the world invests more in wars than in development, more in bombs than in schools. As a global community, unless we start investing in the young generation— their education and their future—we will leave behind a legacy of destruction. Global
MORE
CHILDREN THAN EVER—250 MILLION COMPARED TO 75 MILLION A DECADE AGO—IMPACTED BY CRISES REQUIRE SUPPORT TO COMPLETE THEIR EDUCATION.
military spending soared to $2.7 trillion last year, while $100 billion a year would already be enough to secure a quality education for all children impacted by crises. Our shared vision must be accompanied by logical action of investments, or else we will remain dreamers, not doers.
2025 must be the year when the world wakes up to the desperate plight of the millions of children worldwide who are losing out on their education because their lives have been turned upside down by conflict, climate–induced disasters and displacement. Failing to act will perpetuate cycles of hunger, violence, extreme poverty, gender inequality, exploitation, and human rights violations. It is definitely impossible to build good governance and the rule of law without an education. We are simply not giving these quarter of a billion children and adolescents a chance to dream and make dreams come true; an opportunity to rebuild their war–torn society; nor in any other way contribute to peace and security.
Our children and young people are our hope in the present era. They are also our common future. The slow progress towards universal education is the biggest social policy issue of our time. We need to act as if the future of humanity depends on them. Because it does.
About the author: Yasmine Sherif is the Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, hosted by UNICEF.
Digital divide about meaningful engagement, not just access
By Leonor Diaz Alcantra
Image via Adobe Stock.
Periods of disruption often bring along both crises and the potential for renewal. From the Agricultural to the Industrial Revolution, education has evolved—not just in delivery, but in the role it plays in shaping our collective future. Today is another such moment.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping what it means to learn and know. At the same time, over 244 million children globally remain out of school due to conflict, displacement, and inequality. The digital sphere—once seen as a great equalizer— is fragmenting along political, cultural, and regulatory lines.
This fragmentation takes many forms. Social media platforms often function as ideological echo chambers, reinforcing beliefs rather than broadening perspectives. Access to generative AI is also uneven: while some regions foster open experimentation, others restrict or replace them with tightly controlled or state–developed alternatives or, increasingly, paywalls. These divisions produce starkly different experiences of digital literacy, creativity, and agency.
The digital divide is no longer just about access to devices or connectivity. It is about the ability to engage meaningfully with new technologies. Those who are not necessarily better ‘educated’ in the conventional sense but who possess curiosity, critical thinking, and adaptability are often better prepared. These qualities are not reliably nurtured in traditional systems. What is needed now is not simply exam performance, but the capacity to learn— and relearn—throughout life.
AI itself adds complexity. Unlike simple web use, each AI query draws significantly more power and depends on vast compute infrastructure. The environmental impact is real. Yet software innovations such as DeepSeek suggest a more sustainable future is within reach.
But energy is not the only concern—so is quality. The AI landscape is crowded
THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IS NO LONGER JUST ABOUT ACCESS TO DEVICES OR CONNECTIVITY, BUT ABOUT THE ABILITY TO MEANINGFULLY ENGAGE WITH TECHNOLOGY. OUR EDUCATION SYSTEMS MUST EVOLVE TO ENCOURAGE DIGITAL LITERACY, CREATIVITY, AND AGENCY.
with tools of varying reliability. Some, like ChatGPT and ERNIE Bot, handle nuanced requests with ease; others, like the emerging Manus, show promise but remain inconsistent. This is not just a technical issue—it is educational. Learners must be taught to assess and apply such tools critically.
Education must now adapt. Policymakers and institutions must prioritize long–term public value over short–term efficiency. That means addressing AI’s environmental cost, ensuring equitable access to highquality tools, and embedding digital literacy into the heart of learning.
The question is not whether change is coming, but whether policymakers will meet it with the clarity and cooperation it demands.
About the author: Leonor Diaz Alcantara is an award-winning education leader and the CEO and Founder of the think tank Saviesa.
Proof of “human” knowledge is the future of education in an AI world
By Mario Vasilescu
Image via Adobe Stock.
AI has arrived, and an unprecedented credibility crisis is crashing after it—one that will wash away the credentialing system of education and work as we know it. In schools and universities, students are cheating their way to diplomas, with educators powerless to stop them. Hiring managers the world over are flooded with a sudden surge of impossibly refined resumes and cover letters, alongside interviews they can no longer trust, while well–funded startups emerge with the explicit aim to help you “cheat on everything.”
This is not happening in a vacuum. Beyond education and work, it’s societal as well. Before AI, we watched countless fake experts effortlessly drown out real ones to gain enormous power. With AI, the ability to amplify any such perspectives at scale, undetected, has arrived.
We must redefine education to be less about institutions, and more about infrastructure, to be the scaffolding of data–driven trust in society, rather than just symbolic window dressing. The problems we now face are due to a disconnected system ripe for exploitation.
Future of education and work cannot be its past
Academically and professionally, our world revolves around a system of certifying knowledge that treats the process as a means to an end. Once you’ve earned your stamp of approval, nobody can easily check how you acquired it. How can we be surprised at those who try to fast–track the apparent formalities?
It is a system that is largely unchanged from over 1,000 years ago. Online, we have collectively indulged in a modernization mirage: the wave of alternative credential offerings that have flooded LinkedIn (more than one million) have only perpetuated the same opaque tradition: the industry parlance of “verifiable credential” means you can verify the authenticity of that
same archaic piece of paper, now digitized. It does not mean you can verify the learning, or the exact sources.
Whether traditional credential or alternative, it is a system begging to be gamed. AI is only a flamethrower pointing at abundant kindling where small fires were already burning.
The future of society
Before the internet, these symbols were useful and respected because they were the currency of influence for not only school and work, but of media and discourse as well.
That is no longer true, largely because where influence and power are earned has changed. Our education system is clinging to symbols of respect for a game long abandoned by the players. How do these old symbols fit into the new games that the internet has generated, the data–driven games of social networks, of decentralized media, of online events, of freelance work and expertise–on–demand? They don’t, in their current form.
In an AI world, where outputs are effortlessly fabricated, the inputs are what suddenly matter most; in a world that is dissolving in mistrust, it is the inputs that need to be verifiable by anyone, and integratable into the new domains of power and influence. We don’t need proof of completion, we need accessible proof of work. Proof of human knowledge. Not just for the integrity of school and work, but for our ability to trust our interactions in the platform–driven world shaping our discourse, politics, and future more than anything ever before.
About the author: Mario Vasilescu is CEO & Co-Founder of Readocracy.
The real crisis
isn’t AI or jobs, it’s avoidance
By Lisa Christen
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash.
For years, we’ve talked about the future of work like it was an innovation problem: AI, remote jobs, skills gaps. But in 2025, it’s clear that those were just symptoms. The real crisis? Avoidance.
Across the world, economies are shifting faster than our systems—or our leaders— are willing to confront. The jobs of the past aren’t coming back. The jobs of the future are still taking shape. And instead of helping people get from here to there, many leaders are promising stability that no longer exists.
Economic protectionism and nostalgia are tactics for avoiding hard decisions— mostly because they are politically safe. But they don’t prepare people. They don’t build trust. They simply delay the reckoning. These tactics may buy time for the leaders, but it’s at the expense of millions who are left in limbo. The society is left uncertain how to adapt, unsupported in the process, and increasingly distrustful of the institutions meant to lead them through.
That kind of uncertainty doesn’t stay quiet forever.
But this isn’t just a crisis. It is also an opening.
The future of work doesn’t require all the answers right now. We need leadership with the courage to say: we may not know exactly what’s coming, but we will not leave you behind. It requires economic strategies that build support for transitions, not just rewarding success. And it requires redefining safety: not as preserving what was, but as protecting people while they move forward.
It’s time to shift our priorities—not just from degrees to skills, but from legacy systems to flexible support. Not just from GDP growth to short–term wins, but toward building human resilience in the face of change. This isn’t just about the workforce. It’s about social cohesion,
THE FUTURE OF WORK ISN’T AN INNOVATION PROBLEM TO SOLVE, IT’S AN AVOIDANCE PROBLEM. ECONOMIES ARE EVOLVING FASTER THAN OUR SYSTEMS AND LEADERS CAN CONFRONT, BUT AVOIDING HARD DECISIONS THROUGH PROTECTIONISM AND NOSTALGIA WILL ONLY DELAY A RECKONING.
trust in leadership, and national stability. The real future of work question isn’t about what jobs will exist. Instead, it asks: How do we help people live with dignity while the world constantly changes around them?
Because the future of work isn’t just about jobs—it’s about how we lead people through uncertainty.
About the author: Lisa Christen is the CEO of Christen Coaching and Consulting GmbH.
As the world seems more and more unsettled, there is a crisis brewing that isn’t between nations, but a conundrum among nations. How do we revolutionize the workforce to ensure that the world is meeting the demands of tomorrow’s jobs today?
Many countries, including the U.S., are focusing on workforce preparation to address national competitiveness in a changing geopolitical environment. Workforce preparation includes advocating for policies that promote skills development, adaptation to AI, protecting intellectual property, and aligning industry with training. It’s a vision of integrating practical focus on emerging technologies to ensure that the workforce is indeed prepared for the jobs of the future.
However, as companies focus on the digital shift and competitiveness, a vital element— emotional intelligence—is frequently overshadowed. One would think that younger workers, Gen Z, would be the natural for filling the gap, but there is troubling evidence of a different kind of crisis among younger workers, which I call the soft skills tsunami.
Tomorrow’s work force facing a “soft skills tsunami”
By Martha Newton
What is the Soft Skills Tsunami?
While younger workers are technologically savvy, many young people entering the workforce are often challenged when it comes to critical soft skills needed to be successful. Important attributes including communication, teamwork, problem solving, adaptability, and emotional intelligence are often coming up short. As education systems traditionally focus on technical learning, these Covid–era graduates missed critical social–emotional learning from in–person instruction—and unstructured social interaction with classmates— and the readiness of the workforce has paid the price. Employers are struggling to find young workers who can navigate professional settings, engage with diverse groupings of individuals, and handle the unpredictable emotional environments common in workplaces.
Data shows that with more and more frequency, managers are preferring not to hire Gen Z in the marketplace. According to online education magazine Intelligent.com, 1–in–5 managers in the U.S. have considered quitting due to the stress of overseeing Gen Z workers and 75% of managers indicate that
Image via Adobe Stock.
Gen Z requires more time and resources than employees of different generations.
Why the struggle with soft skills?
1. Digitally Communication Raised. The prevalence of online tools limit face–to–face interactions, which are crucial for developing interpersonal skills. Young workers rely heavily on texting and social media, which can hinder their ability to communicate effectively in–person.
2. Educational Skills. Traditional education systems often emphasize technological skills and academic knowledge over soft skills. As a result, students may graduate with strong technical abilities, but lack proficiency in soft skills.
3. Cultural and Generational Styles. Differences between communication styles and expectations between generations can create challenges for younger workers in adapting to workplace norms.
4. Stress and Mental Health. The emerging workforce spent a portion of their formative education years in a Covid environment. The pressures of modern life, including economic uncertainty, have impacted mental health, making it difficult for younger workers to manage work and handle stress—key components of emotional intelligence.
So how can we rescue younger workers from being drowned by this soft skills tsunami? Many companies are leaning into investing in soft skills and emotional intelligence development, with promising results. Google, Microsoft, and Apple have invested significantly in programs that focus empathy, communication, and interpersonal skills. Companies have shown that prioritizing emotional intelligence through tailored training sessions have resulted in higher employee retention rates and enhanced productivity.
To help stem the tide of the soft skills tsunami among younger workers, we need to:
1. Prioritize Education and Training. Incorporate soft skills training into education curricula and professional development programs.
2. Mentorship and Coaching. Pair young workers with mentors or coaches who can provide guidance, feedback, and support in developing their soft skills. Mentors can offer insight into workplace dynamics and help young workers navigate challenges.
3. Encourage Real–World Experience. Promote internships, volunteer opportunities, and part–time jobs that offer exposure to diverse work environments and require interaction with colleagues and customers.
4. Foster a Supportive Work Environment. Create a workplace culture that values and encourages the development of soft skills. Provide opportunities for collaboration, open communication, and feedback.
5. Promote Self–Awareness and Reflection. Encourage young workers to engage in self–reflection and mindfulness practices to enhance self–awareness and emotional regulation, which are critical components of emotional intelligence.
The rapid rise of technology is transforming the workplace. Companies will need to rely more and more on younger workers. By investing in emotional intelligence and soft skills, companies can foster a new era of competitiveness, sustainable growth, and extraordinary success. As nations strive to become more competitive, we need to ensure that all workers can contribute to a more harmonious and productive workplace.
About the author: Martha E. Newton is a former Deputy DirectorGeneral, UN’s International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Founder and Principal of Fifth Fundamental.
Advanced AI expert migration: Small talent pool, global impact
By Siddhi Pal
Photo by Jefferson Santos via Unsplash.
The global race for artificial intelligence dominance isn’t just about having more AI professionals, it’s about having the right ones. Behind the headlines about a growing AI workforce lies a critical insight missing from policy discussions: all AI talent is not the same. The technical composition of AI talent varies dramatically across ecosystems, and understanding these differences is essential for nurturing and attracting the right talent.
Research suggests that long–standing AI ecosystems may naturally diversify toward business and implementation roles. Only 10% of the U.S. AI workforce possesses the advanced deep learning expertise necessary to build sophisticated AI systems. In contrast, countries like South Korea (27%), Israel (23%), and Japan (20%) maintain significantly higher proportions of specialized technical talent in their AI workforces. Among European contenders, Poland (20%) and Germany (18%) rank 4th and 5th globally, potentially emerging as future AI development powerhouses.
Perhaps most revealing is that nearly all countries have equal or higher percentages of foreign–trained deep learning experts than domestic ones. This highlights a crucial reality: immigration policies may be as important as educational investments for building technological sovereignty.
The past year has witnessed an unprecedented exodus of specialized AI researchers from American institutions, creating a “brain drain” precisely when such expertise has become crucial for national competitiveness. Given the profound mismatch between market demand and current workforce composition, the UK is preparing to launch a £50 million scheme “to woo international research talent,” focusing on priority areas including artificial intelligence. Similar initiatives are emerging across Europe, with France launching a “Safe Place for Science” campaign allocating €15 million to fund American scientists considering “scientific exile.” These coordinated international efforts highlight the growing recognition
that AI expertise has become a strategic national resource.
The most effective AI talent development approaches are targeted. Generic “AI upskilling” programs often miss the mark because different skill levels require tailored strategies. Consider this simple example: training someone with basic AI literacy to become a technical expert requires different content than developing a technical expert into a deep specialist. Teaching advanced neural network architecture to someone who barely understands algorithms would be ineffective, while basic introductory courses would waste time for those ready to innovate.
To address this complexity, I’ve developed a three–tier classification system: AI literacy (basic understanding), technical expertise (implementation capabilities), and deep specialization (innovation capacity). This framework helps organizations develop targeted interventions that match their specific needs.
For policymakers, the implications are clear: successful AI strategies must simultaneously develop domestic educational pipelines while creating environments that attract and retain specialized global talent. For business leaders, this means developing internal pathways that strategically upskill talent based on specific organizational needs rather than pursuing generic development.
As specialized talent flows reshape along geopolitical lines, nations that implement data–informed, targeted talent development strategies will gain a competitive edge. Success depends on both nurturing domestic expertise and creating environments that attract global innovators, moving beyond generic approaches to address the specific needs of each AI ecosystem.
About the author: Siddhi Pal is a Senior Policy Researcher at interface, where she leads research on AI & Labour Markets in Europe with a focus on inclusion and global talent flows.
Leading for future means a people–centric AI transformation
By Tarja Stephens
Photo by otonival via Pixabay.
The future of work faces unprecedented disruption driven by global events and rapid technological advances. Amid geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty, people–centric leadership has never been more critical. Today’s leaders must not only navigate these shifts but inspire their organizations to adopt and scale AI. By placing people at the center of AI transformation, leaders can upskill their teams and create opportunities where technology enhances their teams’ human capabilities.
Current global disruptions underscore both the urgency and complexity of adopting AI. Although most companies are exploring AI, research consistently shows only a few effectively scale AI to achieve transformative business results. The key differentiator isn’t technology or investment, it’s leadership.
Visionary leaders recognize that focusing on their people, processes, and culture is a critical part of AI transformation and more important than the technology itself. They prioritize human potential, cultivating workplace cultures where employees feel confident and willing to integrate AI into their daily workflows. People–centric leadership is particularly critical because AI brings significant workforce challenges and opportunities. Concerns around job displacement and the need for continuous upskilling require proactive and innovative leadership.
While the urgency is clear, successfully scaling AI remains challenging. Leaders increasingly recognize that effective AI integration cannot succeed if treated merely as an isolated IT project operating in silos. Forward–thinking companies embrace this understanding, viewing successful AI adoption as a comprehensive workforce transformation.
Both public and private sector leaders must shift from traditional organizational structures to new operational models that are human–led and AI–supported. Leaders need to critically evaluate outdated systems and design workflows built around
HELPING THE FUTURE OF WORK ARRIVE WELL REQUIRES PEOPLE–CENTRIC LEADERSHIP AS ORGANIZATIONS NAVIGATE THESE SHIFTS AND ADOPT/SCALE AI.
human–AI collaboration, as these hybrid teams will define the future of work.
A practical first step toward successful AI integration involves CEOs and senior executives becoming role models for transformation. Leaders must begin by assessing their personal AI readiness, aligning their executive teams around a shared vision, and actively engaging their workforce throughout the journey. Demonstrating visible and consistent use of AI within their own decision making and daily operations allows leaders to set clear expectations, fostering confidence and trust across the organization.
At the same time, as geopolitical dynamics continue to reshape global economic stability, people–centric leadership also requires comprehensive risk management and robust governance frameworks. These frameworks ensure ethical AI deployment, effectively balancing rapid innovation with safety, fairness, and security.
Ultimately, adopting a people–centric approach to AI transformation empowers leaders across sectors to shape a future of work where human potential remains at the core of technological progress.
About the author: Tarja Stephens is an entrepreneur, advisor, and leading voice in AI readiness, the future of work, and talent development.
