AI isn't taking your team's jobs tomorrow. Here's what to do this quarter
The loudest AI story says "jobs are gone." The quiet truth most HR leaders see every day: people are using AI to do their work better while organizations figure out rollouts, policy and training.
That gap-between cool tech and actual workforce impact-is where your next quarter lives.
What Sam Altman signaled
In a recent CNBC-RV18 interview at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, OpenAI's Sam Altman said enterprises are starting to see "how much they should be willing to pay for AI agents that can help do a part of their workload." Expect pricing shifts and budget conversations to heat up.
On job fears, he noted some AI-washing but said "the real impact of AI doing jobs in the next few years will begin to be palatable." Translation for HR: pressure will rise to pilot agent assistants, but widespread replacement isn't a 2026 problem for most orgs.
The labor market reality check
A new analysis from Yale's Budget Lab looked at actual labor data through late 2025. The verdict: disruption isn't disrupting in aggregate.
- Occupational shifts are tracking at similar rates as pre-ChatGPT.
- Workers in AI-exposed roles aren't showing up as disproportionately unemployed.
- Entry-level college grads are landing in the same kinds of jobs as slightly older cohorts.
Right now, AI is augmenting more than it's automating. That mirrors what most HR teams are living day to day-productivity bumps, fewer blank-page starts, better draft work, same headcount.
A 90-day plan for HR
- Map work to tasks: Break 3-5 roles into task lists. Mark tasks as "generate," "summarize," "analyze," or "decide." Target the first three for pilots.
- Run two focused pilots: One for talent acquisition (e.g., screening summaries) and one for HR ops (e.g., policy Q&A). Define success upfront: time saved, quality lift, compliance risk reduced.
- Set guardrails: Data handling, approved tools, human review requirements, and what must never enter public models.
- Upskill fast: Teach prompt patterns, red-teaming, and quality checks. If you want structured programs, see AI for Human Resources or the executive-focused AI Learning Path for CHROs.
- Change the comms: Publish a simple "What AI means for my job" one-pager per function. Name pilot leads. Share weekly wins and misses.
- Measure and decide: Track baseline vs. pilot: cycle time, errors found in audit, recruiter req load, employee sentiment. Keep what clears a clear ROI and compliance bar.
Budget and procurement notes
- Agent pricing will move: Structure 60-90 day paid pilots with clear opt-outs. Avoid lock-ins until you have hard numbers.
- Prioritize friction: Focus where wait time, handoffs and documentation grind work to a halt. That's where augmentation pays back first.
- Plan for mixed stacks: Some teams will use vendor-native AI (ATS, HCM). Others will need secure, private options for sensitive work.
HR tech in the news
Product and industry announcements
- Tata Group: AI Sakhi Immersion Program delivered hands-on AI training to 1,553 women artisans and entrepreneurs across six rural Indian states.
- Indeed: Smart Screening evaluates resumes, skills and behavioral data to generate a Smart Fit Score; early data shows 54% fewer applications per hire and 20% faster time-to-hire.
- Lightcast: Fault Lines report argues labor scarcity is structural, driven by geopolitics, AI and persistent shortages, reshaping how orgs hire and develop talent.
- Benchmark Gensuite: 2026 EHS benchmarking shows staffing pressure is driving safety outcomes; 45% report injury frequency increases year over year, and 90% of hazards or near misses go unreported.
- KPMG: New AI Pulse Survey finds AI investment holding through downturns across banking, tech and asset management, with each sector facing distinct execution challenges in scaling agentic systems responsibly.
- eMed + CVS Caremark: Collaboration to let employers subsidize GLP-1 medications with clinical monitoring, side-effect support and bloodwork integration.
- Google: Launched an AI Professional Certificate with free training for U.S. small businesses; research shows AI-fluent workers are 4.5x more likely to earn higher wages and 4x more likely to be promoted. Details here.
- Tarkenton: Simplified pricing for pipIQ, a private AI platform for SMBs focused on affordability and reduced data exposure versus public tools.
HR tech people moves
- DailyPay: Appointed Jennifer R. Jackson to its board; she brings leadership experience from Walmart and Capital One across retail, credit and digital transformation.
- Employ Inc. (JazzHR, Lever, Jobvite): Named Jerry Jao as CEO; founder of AI-driven marketing firm ReSci (acquired by Constant Contact) and a former multi-year Lever customer.
- Astro Pak: Appointed Patrick McKeown as chief people officer, bringing 15+ years of HR leadership across Aramark, Rentokil Initial and Horizon Group Holdings.
What to watch next quarter
- Agent pricing shifts and how vendors package "per seat" vs. "per task."
- Augmentation metrics in TA and HR ops: time-to-hire, req load, first-pass accuracy.
- Policy maturity: data safeguards, audit trails, and human-in-the-loop coverage.
- Upskilling adoption: completion rates, on-the-job usage, credential value.
Sources and further reading
- Yale Budget Lab labor market analysis: budgetlab.yale.edu
Your membership also unlocks:
