AI adoption and people strategy go hand in hand, but we’ve witnessed many businesses prioritize the former without taking the latter into consideration. Workforce planning in the age of AI has primarily consisted of hiring AI experts and firing those who don’t have the necessary skills required to operate these expensive AI tools, however, this is a short-term strategy that can prove insufficient in the long run.
In order to boost AI adoption, organizations need a clear strategy on how employees will be trained to use this brand-new technology that they have at their disposal. This is essential in ensuring that the workforce is able to keep up with the evolution of the organization. An AI-driven people strategy can mean the difference between successful integration and a patchy one that leads to more regrets than results.
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Prioritizing AI Adoption and People Strategy Simultaneously Is the Only Way to Succeed
Businesses across the globe have been hot in pursuit of the benefits of artificial intelligence, seeking novel ways to improve their products and services exponentially in a short time. A new survey by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) spoke to 10,600 workers across 11 countries and found that 72% of respondents use AI regularly. While the adoption rates appeared to be high across the board, India (92%), the Middle East (87%), and Spain (78%) were found to have the highest number of regular users. In the US, the frequent user numbers stood at around 64%.
This data may be surprising to some, but the other findings from the survey were significantly more alarming. Despite the high rates of AI adoption, only 36% of employees felt adequately trained in AI use. Additionally, only 25% of the frontline workers felt their leaders had provided enough guidance on using AI.
The enthusiasm for AI was not just due to the company pressure to comply, but a voluntary desire to master the tools, with 54% stating that they would use AI even if they were not authorized to do so. While the positive attitude to AI might be a good sign for employers who have been facing resistance at their own organizations, it also brings up some concerns around security and incorrect usage that could pose a threat to the business. These numbers make it apparent that a robust people strategy is essential for successful AI adoption in an organization.
Workforce Planning in the Age of AI Requires More Attention
In 2025, despite the many fears around AI and its ability to threaten jobs, many workers are willing to learn and use these tools to improve their performance and drive up the results at their organization. Unfortunately, the pathway to AI adoption remains unclear for workers who have these tools thrust upon them with demands of immediate success. The BCG survey made it clear that organizations that are succeeding in AI integration are the ones that are investing heavily in people transformation and tracking the value created by AI through tangible results.
The technology is evolving, and we are still uncovering new applications for its diverse capabilities, but this exploration has to be done in collaboration with the workforce. “Companies cannot simply roll out GenAI tools and expect transformation,” Sylvain Duranton, Global Leader of BCG X, explained in the report. “Our research shows the real returns come when businesses invest in upskilling their people, redesign how work gets done, and align leadership around AI strategy.”
Organizations need to work with their employees to uncover how exactly AI can be useful to their business, and this is work that takes time. A rushed adoption can hurt a business’ profit margins when the tools are purchased and employees are unsure of what to do with them. A careful, long-term strategy that sets measurable targets is one that can be studied and improved upon for future gains.
Boost AI Adoption with a Clear Strategy for Training the Workforce
Why do we recommend an AI-driven people strategy? It’s because AI is redefining the future of work, whether employers are ready for the transformation or not. Organizing a workforce is a mammoth task on its own, but with AI looming on the horizon, training employees to prepare for the changes that are coming is more important than ever.
There are only so many AI experts that an organization can hire, especially in a short time frame. While the education system works on manufacturing more of these experts, organizations can benefit from working with their existing employees who are already familiar with the business in order to learn and grow together. BCG recommends that organizations “commit appropriate levels of investment, time, and leadership support” towards the training of employees, and we couldn’t agree more.
While organizations plan out which AI tools and services they will invest in, they should also consider allocating some of their budget for the workers who will use the tools. The training here goes beyond learning which buttons to click to interact with the AI tools and extends to gaining an in-depth understanding of what these tools do and what can be done with the results they present. Change will not occur overnight, but businesses that tie their AI adoption strategy with their people strategy can expect to see a smoother transition in the future than businesses that do not.
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