Organizations recognize that skilled talent will drive AI success—but then fall short of investing in people strategies.
This is the key finding of Aon’s inaugural Human Capital Trends Study, which discovered that nearly 90% of employers agree AI will require their workforce to develop new skills.
Yet, despite more than 70% of organizations deploying or piloting AI programs, fewer than 20% of workforces report having actually participated in AI-specific re-skilling or up-skilling programs in the past year.
And it’s not like the gap is being filled from the outside: less than 30% of organizations surveyed are hiring employees with AI expertise, suggesting a reliance on internal development.
The result, according to the report, “is a disconnect between what organizations know will drive success and how they are prioritizing resources.”
This could be a material risk to enterprise value, suggests Greg Case, who serves as chief executive officer of Dublin-based Aon.
“The winners in the application of AI will lead with world-class people strategies,” Case believes.
AI, he says, “represents a historic opportunity for growth, particularly for organizations that approach transformation by integrating people and technology so they evolve in lockstep.”
Too many orgs are deploying technology faster than they are building the skills, structures, and human support needed to make it effective.
AI success “ultimately depends on their people,” says Byron Beebe, CEO of Human Capital for Aon, “but most are still investing primarily in the technology.”
By closing the gap between ambition and readiness, Case says “leaders can act with confidence, strengthen long‑term resilience, and win today and in the future.”
The solution isn’t always easy or simple, however.
“Closing the readiness gap takes a coordinated approach,” says Beebe. This includes “building skills and confidence, setting clear governance, and enabling leaders to guide change so technology investments translate into sustainable performance and resilience.”
As AI adoption accelerates, organizations face a choice, according to the report: continue prioritizing technology or invest equally in the workforce required to make it effective.
Those choosing the latter “will be best positioned to convert AI into a durable competitive advantage.”
