TECH

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As many companies pour millions of dollars into AI and push employees to become more productive with the technology, some people teams—those responsible for preparing the workforce for that transformation—are actually still trying to figure out how to transform themselves, according to findings from a recent survey.

While organizations are moving ahead, trying to execute on strong ambitions to build out AI infrastructure and increase adoption and productivity (despite the fact that 100% of technology budgets are maintaining or growing in size), progress may be slow, especially for those lacking a workforce and culture ready for AI activation and grow adoption. And the HR function itself, tasked with helping build that AI-ready workforce and culture, has some catching up to do, according to the 2026 State of Workforce Transformation study conducted by AI-powered people intelligence platform Surface by Paradigm.

Some 31% of organizations have not deployed AI tech inside their HR department at all, according to the survey. Though HR has the “clearest mandate to build the conditions for workforce transformation,” it’s lagging in applying those demands on itself.

Organizations are signaling that AI is a major business priority and continuing to fund the technology, but those investments don’t automatically translate into an AI-ready workforce. For HR, that can be a particularly challenging ask.

For more on the challenges facing HR teams tasked with workplace AI transformation, keep reading here.—AD

      

Sponsored By PwC

What does it actually take to operationalize AI? This was the question AT&T asked themselves. Soon after, their enterprise AI transformation was born.

It began with a clear strategic vision, but what followed was the work of turning this vision into valuable day-to-day operations. While many organizations find themselves willing to discuss AI, the chats can sometimes, er, stall when it comes to implementing change.

Wes Long, AVP, HR Technology at AT&T, shares lessons learned and what it took to redesign workflows, drive adoption, and build AI that scales beyond the pilot phase.

One big takeaway: To embed AI into an enterprise like AT&T, it really takes buy-in from the top down. And AI adoption stalls when the solutions aren’t practical.

Hear what else they learned.

TECH

Morning Brew Inc.

On the road to AI readiness, HR pros have miles to go before actual AI readiness matches aspirations, both inside their own departments and among the workforce.

AI literacy among HR pros, while higher than that of the overall organization, remains low: 77% of respondents to HR Brew’s survey said AI is a “high” or “moderate” department priority, but just 45% rated their own AI activity as high or very high.

The majority of respondents rated both HR’s AI literacy (52%) and their organization’s overall AI literacy (51%) as “moderate.” But this activation and training lag might yield consequences, right at the exact moment when HR pros and employees should be basking in the benefits of leveling-up thanks to the new technology.

“As capacity increases, if you do not educate those individuals on how to better utilize AI tools or the platform, you’ve done that individual a disservice. But that individual—in not knowing how to utilize the tools—now goes back to [the old processes],” Harry Osle, principal and CHRO of the strategic consulting and executive advisory firm The Hackett Group, said. “We go back to what we know. It’s the path of least resistance.”

For more on the state of AI readiness in HR, keep reading here.—AD

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HR STRATEGY

Emily Parsons

A boomerang employee is a worker who returns to a former employer after their previous period of employment ended. There was an uptick in boomerang employees following the Great Resignation, as a result of some workers regretting having job hopped amid the tight labor market.

While the trend has waned since 2023, boomerang employees can help recruiters today because it requires less time and money to recruit and onboard former employees.

“There’s no downside to putting even more effort and investment into hiring boomerangs. They know our culture, they know the value,” Greg Till, Providence’s chief people officer, previously told HR Brew.

For more on boomerang employees, and how HR can recruit them, keep reading here.—MC

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work perks

Francis Scialabba

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: Even though Tesla CEO Elon Musk didn’t hit the right targets to bring home any money from his $158 billion pay package last year, overall CEO pay in the US still rose 14%. CEOs made 325 times as much as the average annual worker. (Economic Policy Institute)

Quote: “The requirement for AI in job descriptions by employers has just gone up exponentially. So they’re looking for people who can apply AI in specific skills.”—Steven Preston, CEO of Goodwill Industries, on the importance of AI workforce training (Reuters)

Read: Target introduced an expanded employee-only clothing line as part of its campaign to make the company more “on trend,” but workers may not be ready to spend their wages on workwear. (the Street)

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