The Most Powerful AI Asset Is Your People

Jennifer’s book Why Are We Here was excerpted in Chief Executive.

In ‘Why Are We Here? Creating a Work Culture Everyone Wants’ Jennifer emphasizes the critical role of reskilling and upskilling in preparing the workforce for the future, particularly in the context of AI adoption. While technology, including AI, plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of work, the article argues that focusing solely on AI without investing in human capital could result in significant global challenges. By 2030, there is expected to be a talent shortage of over 85 million people, potentially costing the global economy $8.5 trillion in lost revenue. Additionally, research by the World Economic Forum suggests that half of the workforce will require reskilling by 2025 due to technological advances.

To address this, industry leaders like Satya Nadella of Microsoft and Igor Tulchinsky of WorldQuant stress the importance of equipping people with new skills to work alongside AI. For example, Microsoft plans to train over 2 million people in India by 2025, ensuring that AI adoption does not harm the labor market. Similarly, companies like Amazon and PwC are investing heavily in upskilling initiatives to help employees transition to more skilled roles.

Jennifer outlines a roadmap for successfully managing these changes, including defining clear objectives for upskilling, implementing structured training initiatives, providing long-term support through Learning & Development programs, and creating checkpoints to track progress. The goal is not to replace humans with AI, but to ensure that humans and AI work together to drive growth and stability in an uncertain future.