A new IBM study finds that 60% of employees worry AI is eroding their skills, with critical thinking cited most often as declining. The research, released September 21, 2026, surveyed 1,500 CHROs and 8,800 employees globally, revealing a gap between the skills HR leaders say AI demands and what workers prioritize.
While 71% of CHROs identify the ability to supervise, validate and override AI outputs as the workforce's most essential skill, only 29% of employees rank judgment as important. At the same time, CHROs cite critical thinking (57%) and human judgment (48%) as among the most important workforce capabilities.
The skills erosion disconnect
Among employees who worry about skills erosion, three out of four say AI has already begun to erode at least some of their skills. The concern ranks among CHROs' top issues, cited by 46% of respondents. Both groups agree on the primacy of certain capabilities - 49% of employees and 57% of CHROs say critical thinking and problem framing are among the skills that matter most in the AI era.
Organizations that clearly define workflows as human-led, AI-assisted or AI-executed report 18% risk reduction and 20% quality improvement. Where judgment is built into how work gets done, 62% of CHROs report growing employee confidence in AI-enabled decisions. Where it is not, 57% report confidence declining.
Accountability gaps and invisible work
The study highlights a troubling accountability dynamic. 43% of employees report that when something goes wrong with AI, the blame falls on them. Meanwhile, 41% of CHROs believe employees may not feel safe challenging or overriding AI outputs. Only 28% of CHROs report having a joint roadmap with IT backed by a shared operating cadence, and 73% say they struggle to coordinate consistently across the C-suite.
Where the CHRO at least shares responsibility for which decisions remain human-led, 76% of employees feel safe to question or override AI recommendations. That figure drops to 43% where HR is merely advisory.
AI adoption also creates what the study calls "invisible" work. 80% of CHROs believe employees now handle validating recommendations, fixing mistakes, providing context and managing exceptions - tasks that often go unrecognized. 42% of employees say AI increases their work or their work goes unnoticed. Only 42% of CHROs say AI productivity gains are reinvested for innovation or reskilling.
HR's own AI adoption lags
Despite expectations that HR will lead AI transformation, 72% of organizations make limited or no use of AI inside the HR function. CHROs rate their teams' capabilities low in AI literacy (13%), AI performance measurement (16%) and change management for AI adoption (20%). Organizations with mature HR AI capability - including governance, architecture and measurement - are nearly twice as likely to report a higher number of positive business KPIs.
Nearly half (46%) of organizations do not involve the CHRO when AI strategy is being defined. "AI is changing not only how work gets done, but where people can contribute the greatest value," said Nickle LaMoreaux, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, IBM. "As AI takes on more routine and process-driven tasks, uniquely human capabilities become even more important. CHROs have a critical role to play in redesigning the workplace of the future so people can focus on the areas where they can have the greatest impact."
Geneviève Bich, Vice President of Human Resources and Board member at Metro, said: "Offering an organization a design framework for transformation is HR work. It's actually the HR work everyone aspires to."
The full study is available at the IBM Institute for Business Value.
Why this matters for HR, strategy and operations leaders
The data makes one point clear: organizations that keep CHROs out of AI strategy pay for it in accountability confusion, skills erosion and employee distrust. For HR leaders, the study signals that building internal AI literacy and establishing shared governance with IT is no longer optional. The 18% risk reduction and 20% quality improvement reported by organizations that define human-AI workflows offer a concrete benchmark. For executives in customer support, healthcare, hospitality and education - sectors where judgment-heavy decisions directly affect outcomes - the finding that structured judgment frameworks boost employee confidence in AI decisions carries immediate operational weight. Professionals responsible for workforce planning can explore structured approaches through an AI HR Strategy Training path, while senior HR leaders building cross-functional AI roadmaps may benefit from dedicated AI HR Leadership Courses.
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