Some firms are starting to implement technologies designed to generate future value from generative AI. Understandably, many large companies are leading the way. There are downsides, since the productivity gains from AI are resulting in a rise in layoffs.
As AI reshapes how organizations manage talent, it is also redefining what the workforce is—what skills are in demand, how work gets done, and who gets access to opportunity.
Seemingly, businesses are entering a world where adaptability, continuous learning, and human-AI collaboration will be just as critical as traditional expertise.
Sara Gutierrez, Chief Science Officer at SHL, has told Digital Journal why companies using AI across the organisation are set up for success: “Roles are becoming more fluid, teams more cross-functional, and career paths less linear. The organisations that embrace this shift will be the ones best positioned to attract, retain, and grow top talent.”
AI reshapes how organizations manage
This tendency is not simply happening, there are drivers. Gutierrez explains: “What’s making this transformation possible is a new generation of AI-powered talent intelligence tools—tools that give leaders real-time visibility into skills, potential, and readiness. At SHL, we see talent intelligence as a strategic driver of this workforce evolution. It enables companies to move beyond outdated job frameworks and instead think in terms of capabilities, agility, and fit for the future, not just the role.”
Consequently, the way that work is organised is transforming. Gutierrez explains the ‘from the what’ as: “This is a dramatic shift from traditional talent management. Where we once operated reactively—filling roles, plugging gaps, and relying on intuition—AI is helping us operate proactively. It gives us the ability to forecast the skills that will matter most, understand who in our workforce is primed to grow into new roles, and personalize development in ways that truly matter.”
Augmenting decisions for the better
In terms of what businesses are transmorphing into, Gutierrez opines: “It’s not about automating decisions—it’s about augmenting them with insight we never had before. And that insight is essential. Because the workforce of tomorrow will not look like the workforce of today. Career paths are already starting to resemble skill trees instead of ladders. Internal mobility is no longer a perk—it’s a necessity.”
In terms of what leading firms are doing in the transformative space, Gutierrez finds: “And the most inclusive organizations will be those that use AI not to reinforce old patterns, but to challenge them. With bias-mitigated, data-driven assessments at the core—like those used in SHL’s platform—organizations can uncover talent in places they may have previously overlooked, including among neurodiverse candidates or employees without traditional credentials.”
The shift also demands that we rethink how we view potential, Gutierrez explains. Talent intelligence helps us understand not just what people have done, but what they’re capable of.
These companies are using AI to unify fragmented data across skills, performance, engagement, and learning systems to build a full picture of their workforce—what people can do today, and what they can grow into tomorrow.
