Why AI for business means investing in its people

The first promise of the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution sounded straightforward: more time. And to a large extent, that promise is being realized.

Recent World Economic Forum data shows that 82% of organizations are actively reinventing themselves with generative AI. At the individual level, the enthusiasm is palpable; in new Workday research, 85% of employees say they’re saving between one and seven hours a week using these tools.

We are making strides on efficiency. The next horizon is organizational transformation.

Yet as we look toward 2026, a paradox is emerging. Individual tasks are getting faster but organizational outcomes are not improving at the same rate. Instead of freeing people to do more meaningful work, a surprising amount of time is spent on rework, oversight and burnout.

In our Workday research, we see a hidden productivity drain: for every 10 hours of efficiency gained, employees spend roughly four hours correcting or refining AI-generated outputs. This isn’t a failure of AI; it’s an important signal. We’re investing heavily in tools but not nearly enough in people.

We equip employees to “use the tool,” but not to apply the uniquely human capabilities that must sit atop it: judgment, creativity and care. The result is what many workers describe as a new treadmill. We’re driving higher output, not higher quality outcomes.

At the Forum’s Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos, Switzerland, with the theme “Spirit of Dialogue,” we need to broaden the conversation. This is no longer just about humans talking to machines. It’s about rethinking the social contract of work in an AI-powered world.

When I talk to chief human resource officers (CHROs) and chief executive officers (CEOs), almost all of them are investing aggressively in AI and training. Yet our data shows a persistent disconnect between executive intent and employee reality.

Leaders report robust AI enablement. But the employees who use AI the most tell us they don’t feel meaningfully invested in. They know how to prompt the tool but it’s less clear on when to trust the output, when to challenge it and where their accountability starts and ends.

We’ve moved fast on AI for content such as drafting and summarizing. The next frontier is AI for context: systems that understand people, skills, organizational policies and risk deeply enough to become trusted delegates. However, even the most context‑rich AI needs a partner in the people who work alongside it. That is the reinvestment imperative.

The question for leaders is no longer, “Should we invest in AI?” It’s now, “Are we investing in our people along with the right tools?”

From our research and conversations with CHROs and CEOs globally, three priorities are emerging.

The friction and burnout we feel today are signals that our investments are incomplete. We have poured capital into tools; now we must reach the next level of AI transformation with investment in people.

The metric for success cannot simply be hours saved. It must be value created. As leaders gather in Davos, the goal should be to move beyond the question, “What can AI do?” to a more profound one: “Who do we want people to become in an AI-powered world and are we investing accordingly?”

That is the real frontier of this revolution and it is, fundamentally, a people question.