Over the past few months, I've had the opportunity to facilitate private roundtable discussions with HR leaders from various industries. While these conversations could have centered on technology, they naturally gravitated toward deeper topics: organizational culture, trust-building, and managing the accelerating pace of change. A sentiment that emerged repeatedly was the feeling that organizations are "building the plane while flying it."

Here are the key insights that surfaced.

1. The pace is real, but uneven across organizations

The reality: AI is moving faster than most change initiatives we've seen in the last decade, but adoption remains uneven across organizations. Some functions are running full-speed experiments while others stay in "wait and see" mode. In more than one company, employees are adopting AI tools without official approval, creating both opportunity and risk. With each team choosing its own vendors, integration challenges are already emerging.

The takeaway: CHROs are balancing speed with alignment in AI adoption to generate value instead of fragmentation.

2. Strategy must come before software

The reality: In every success story I've heard, leaders began with a clear outcome, whether productivity gains, better decision-making, or talent redeployment, and then chose AI to get them there. The CHROs making real progress think in ecosystems, connecting tools to workflows, upskilling programs, and performance metrics. When this discipline is missing, rollouts turn into expensive experiments that frustrate employees.

The takeaway: CHROs who start with clear goals and work backward to technology see stronger results than those chasing the latest AI features.

3. Learning is moving into the flow of work

The reality: Traditional LMS models are losing relevance as AI literacy becomes a baseline skill for every role. CHROs are responding with real-time, performance-driven learning that builds practical decision-making skills. Learning is becoming an integrated part of how work gets done rather than a separate activity.

The takeaway: CHROs are embedding learning into daily workflows to build the practical skills AI-augmented roles require.

4. The barbell workforce is reshaping talent dynamics

The reality: AI is creating a "barbell workforce" where early-career, AI-native employees and senior leaders gain traction while mid-career roles face disruption. This is prompting new thinking around competencies, reskilling, and team structure. As one CHRO put it: "A level 2 engineer with AI is starting to look like a level 4." The implications for career progression, compensation, and development are massive.

The takeaway: CHROs are rethinking career progression, compensation, and development as AI amplifies junior talent and reshapes the middle layer.

5. Leadership competencies need fundamental updates

The reality: As AI takes on more execution, leadership is shifting toward judgment, orchestration, and human discernment. We are seeing the rise of empowered individual contributors who manage digital agents, a signal that traditional hierarchies are starting to blur. Employees' core skills now include working alongside AI, directing digital agents, and making decisions with richer, faster information.

The takeaway: CHROs are redefining leadership development so tomorrow’s leaders learn to coordinate humans and AI, not just manage people.

6. Right-sizing the workforce isn't just about cuts

The reality: Headlines often link AI to layoffs, but most CHROs told me recent workforce changes relate more to post-COVID restructuring than automation. That said, AI-driven productivity is reshaping hiring priorities, especially for entry-level roles. Philosophies vary widely: some see AI as an enhancer, others as a disruptor. Across the board, leaders are experimenting with redeploying talent, redesigning jobs, and blending human judgment with AI efficiency.

The takeaway: CHROs are redeploying talent into new roles and priorities, using AI to reshape work instead of defaulting to cuts.

7. HR and IT partnership is make-or-break for transformation

The reality: AI adoption is exposing gaps in HR-IT collaboration like never before. Cross-functional committees are common, but misaligned ownership and priorities remain a major challenge. The tension is real: who owns AI strategy when it touches every part of the employee experience? Moving forward, HR leaders will need stronger tech fluency while keeping people outcomes front and center. The organizations struggling most are those where these two functions aren't truly aligned.

The takeaway: CHROs moving fastest on AI are building true HR-IT partnerships that align ownership and accelerate transformation.

8. Training is becoming as dynamic as the technology

The reality: Upskilling can’t rely on static content or one-off workshops anymore. Peer coaching, live demos, and hands-on experimentation are gaining traction because they keep pace with change. What’s needed now is training built into daily workflows, personalized by role, and fast enough to match AI’s pace.

The takeaway: CHROs are shifting training from static programs to dynamic, in-the-flow learning that adapts as quickly as AI evolves.

9. Ecosystems are replacing tech stacks

The reality: CHROs are building comprehensive systems that connect learning, experimentation, workflow design, and performance metrics. Some are launching internal incubators where teams can safely test AI before broad rollout. Others are creating AI literacy paths and competency frameworks that give employees the skills and confidence to adopt new tools without triggering resistance.

The takeaway: CHROs are moving from individual tools to integrated systems that connect learning, experimentation, and performance so adoption can scale.

10. The path forward isn't about the technology

The reality: What strikes me most from these conversations is how rarely CHROs talked about AI features or capabilities. Instead, they focused on fundamentals: building trust, aligning teams, developing people, and creating sustainable change. The CHROs making real progress partner with people who understand that successful AI adoption starts with clear outcomes and builds the organizational muscle to adapt as technology evolves.

The takeaway: CHROs making progress focus less on AI features and more on building trust, aligning teams, and developing the organizational muscle to adapt as technology evolves.

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