Chief People Officers Outlook September 2025

12Chief People Officers Outlook Figure 6. Top risks in relation to workforce deployment of AI and process automation technology in the next 6-12 months 1 Employees not adapting or learning quickly enough 2 Career stagnation, loss of skills from over-reliance on AI 3 Ethical or data privacy issues Source: Chief People Officers Survey. (May-June 2025). Chief people officers caution that AI- led transformation without adequate support could deepen existing workforce disparities. Workers may struggle to adapt risk displacement, while others may face reduced agency or limited career progression as AI takes on more decision- making responsibilities. Ethical risks – especially around data use in hiring or evaluations – were also raised.Many chief people officers consulted for this briefing emphasized the importance of aligning workforce AI deployment with a long-term vision – grounded in clear business goals and workforce strategies – while maintaining a human-centred approach. Failing to do so could lead to missed opportunities for large-scale transformation and erode trust in both leadership and the technology itself. Successful workforce AI integration will depend not only on effective technical deployment, but also on a deliberate redesign of work and a firm commitment to human-centred implementation. Chief people officer perspective