3The future of AI and work For executives navigating AI adoption, success will require making clear- sighted decisions while acknowledging that large unknowns remain. The perspectives gathered here are not forecasts or statistical models. Instead, they offer snapshots from technology firms working every day to implement AI at scale, in their own organizations and with their clients. Their evidence is partially anecdotal, but it offers an important pulse check on how early adopters see the future of work unfolding. These early signals suggest both immediate action items to support workers and large questions that remain unanswered. 1 Build AI fluency throughout organizations AI fluency will become as fundamental as digital literacy. Organizations will soon expect everyone to work effectively with AI tools, regardless of role. To foster AI fluency throughout organizations, companies must move beyond technical training and focus on cultivating universal capability and a culture of ongoing learning. This involves treating AI tools as collaborative partners – much like interns or thought partners – by encouraging clear communication, iterative feedback and habit- building rather than coding expertise.Large enterprises are investing in scalable training programmes and embedding AI into everyday workflows, enabling both new hires and experienced professionals to become “AI natives” who intuitively use AI to enhance their roles. Organizations where AI stays siloed in technical teams will lose advantage to those where augmentation becomes universal. The scale of investment is remarkable. One firm has trained more than 200,000 employees in foundational AI concepts. Others have committed substantial investments to reaching tens of millions of learners globally through free courses. The emphasis is less on one-time training than building structures to enable ongoing learning and reinvention. 3.1 Four imperatives to support workers in adopting AI In practice: In August 2025, Cognizant advanced its commitment to build a global workforce in which everyone has the tools to innovate with AI. The company assembled a global generative AI hackathon designed to democratize innovation and empower its associates with AI skills. Over 10 days, more than 53,000 associates from 40 countries collaborated to explore real-world applications of AI, producing 30,600-plus ideas and working prototypes. These ranged from an HR wellness companion app for busy professionals to tools that ensure brand compliance in marketing campaigns. Through this learning-driven initiative, Cognizant set a Guinness World Records™ title8 for the most participants in an online generative AI hackathon, underscoring the company’s commitment to enterprise-wide AI literacy and an AI-enabled global economy. AI at Work: From Productivity Hacks to Organizational Transformation 16

AI at Work from Productivity Hacks to Organizational Transformation 2026