The upcoming rise of Agentic AI – AI that operates more like an independent worker than a traditional tool will fundamentally transform the landscape of work. This evolution prompts an important question: what role do unions play in a world where AI acts as a virtual employee?
Category: AI In Society
HR’s Role in the World of Agentic AI: Shaping the Future of Virtual Employees
The world of AI is evolving rapidly, moving from passive tools to dynamic, “agentic” AI – technology that can operate autonomously, making decisions, interacting with employees, and handling tasks like a true virtual team member. While this shift brings exciting opportunities for efficiency it also brings new challenges for oversight, ethics, and integration into workplace culture. HR stands at the heart of this, ensuring that these “virtual employees” align with company values, policies, and workforce goals.
The GenAI Skills Gap Seems Real: Are most people just getting started?
Am I living in a GenAI echo chamber? While my LinkedIn feed overflows with the latest AI breakthroughs and ‘must-try’ features, my experience in the trenches tells a different story. As a volunteer leading GenAI projects, delivering prompt engineering training and talking about GenAI in the non-profit sector, I’ve witnessed a gulf between the breathless pace of AI innovation and how most people actually use these tools day-to-day. (I have to say that I have not noticed resistance, concern – yes, but not resistance and in all cases I see the ‘wow’ moment happen when people realise the possibilities and practical applications.)
The Urgency of Generative AI: Today’s Competitive Edge, Tomorrow’s Necessity
As I explore the AI development platforms from major providers like IBM , Google, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft it’s clear that they are increasingly offering tools that provide easy access to both pre-trained models and custom model training (we also have easy API access to models like ChatGPT and Gemini). A recent report from the IBM Institute for Business Value included a sentence that resonated with me: “The competitive edge that generative AI delivers today will be table stakes tomorrow.” This insight feels particularly relevant when considering the services these major platforms offer – its power to differentiate will diminish.