The Leaders Championing the AI Workplace Movement - Part 2

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For part two of The Leaders Championing the AI Workplace Movement series, we look at how organizations are ensuring their workforce is prepared to integrate AI into their HR processes.?Companies are taking a multi-faceted approach to prepare their workforce for AI integration, focusing on both skills development and change management. On the skills development front, many organizations are implementing comprehensive training programs to upskill and reskill their employees. These programs often cover a range of AI-related topics, from basic AI literacy to more advanced skills like data analysis, machine learning, and AI ethics. Companies are leveraging a variety of learning formats, including online courses, workshops, hands-on projects, and partnerships with educational institutions. Some are creating internal "AI academies" or digital learning platforms to provide ongoing, personalized learning experiences. Additionally, organizations are increasingly emphasizing the development of soft skills that complement AI, such as critical thinking, creativity, and emotional intelligence, recognizing that these human-centric skills will become even more valuable in an AI-augmented workplace.

In terms of change management, companies are adopting strategies to ease the transition and address employee concerns about AI integration. This often involves clear and transparent communication about the company's AI strategy, its potential impact on jobs, and the opportunities it presents. Many organizations are appointing AI champions or creating cross-functional teams to lead the integration efforts and serve as bridges between technical and non-technical staff. Companies are also focusing on creating a culture of innovation and experimentation, encouraging employees to explore AI applications in their work. Some are implementing pilot projects to demonstrate the benefits of AI and gather feedback from employees. Additionally, organizations are revisiting their organizational structures and job designs to better align with AI-augmented work processes, often creating new roles that focus on human-AI collaboration. Through these combined efforts in skills development and change management, companies aim to create a workforce that is not only capable of working alongside AI but also enthusiastic about its potential to enhance their work.

For this series, I spoke to Fortune 500 CHROs including Donna Morris (Chief People Officer, Walmart), Michael Fraccaro (Chief People Officer, Mastercard), Cornelius Boone (Chief People Officer, eBay), Kirsten Marriner (Chief People & Corporate Affairs Officer, The Clorox Company), Maria Zangardi (SVP, HR, and Corporate Officer, Universal Health Services), and Karen Dunning (Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Motorola Solutions).

Below is a sneak peek of our conversation — subscribe to my FREE Workplace Intelligence Insider Newsletter and you’ll immediately receive the full article.

What steps are you taking to ensure your workforce is prepared for AI integration, in terms of both skills development and change management?

Cornelius Boone (eBay): ?eBay is not new to the AI space. We were early adopters of machine learning, and AI touches nearly everything on our platform and marketplace, so our current focus is on driving AI competency within non-tech teams. For example, our Legal & Government Relations team hosts a monthly “AI in Action” Training Series to understand how AI is revolutionizing the legal and government relations landscape. They bring in AI experts, offer hands-on experience with enterprise AI tools, and exchange tips and tricks. As a company, we also provide AI training, piloting opportunities, and knowledge base articles throughout the year. We just held our second annual AI conference to share advances in research, development and application to help eBayers know what Gen AI tools are available to support our work and how to use them. While we recognize that the EU AI Act creates a broad regulatory obligation to provide a sufficient level of AI literacy to the workforce, we view this as much more than a “check the box” exercise to meet compliance obligations. We plan to roll out Bias Education training later this year to AI teams on critical topics like understanding the risks of bias in AI and how to identify and mitigate biases through inclusive practices.

Kirsten Marriner (The Clorox Company): ?As a growth-minded company, we’re encouraging all teammates to embrace change with curiosity. This includes our more than $500 million enterprise digital transformation, with an emphasis on adopting AI to enhance efficiency. While functions build AI skills specific to their work, we also train everyone on common skills like prompt engineering and business fundamentals. In HR, we’re focused on skills for Microsoft Copilot, holding sessions to train and share best practices. This fosters a culture of experimentation, learning, and continuous improvement.?

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