Humans Wanted: Must Be Curious, Adaptive, and Slightly Uncomfortable

Reframing workforce disruption in the age of AI

No one really knows what the future of work looks like right now.
Not with certainty. Not really.

We don’t know what jobs will exist five years from now, what skills will define success, or what careers our kids will be preparing for. Roles are dissolving, industries are mutating, and the whole idea of a ‘career path’ is being rewritten in real time.

It’s unsettling—and if we’re honest, a bit disorienting.
But it’s also wide open and so, so exciting!

And that’s the bit we sometimes forget: the future isn’t just happening to us—it’s something we get to help shape.

That’s the opportunity. It’s right there, hiding in plain sight.
Ours to influence—as teams, as talent professionals, as humans.

“If you're waiting for clarity, you're already behind.”

It’s a line I’ve caught myself repeating lately—to clients, in team calls, and honestly, in my own head. Because let’s face it, the AI conversation is messy. There’s excitement, confusion, panic. Every other headline feels like it’s predicting the end of work as we know it.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth that no one’s really saying out loud: this isn’t an AI problem—it’s a wake-up call for all of us.

We’ve been talking about disruption for years. Digital transformation. Agile. Remote work. The metaverse. Take your pick. But AI feels different, doesn’t it? Not because it’s more dangerous—but because it’s exposing things we’ve maybe avoided for a while. The reality that our org structures, hiring habits, and a lot of our business logic were built for a different era.

This isn’t a moment of replacement—it’s a moment of recalibration.
Treat it like a threat and you’ll stall.
Treat it like an opening and you might just help shape what’s next.

Let’s bust a myth right up front: AI is not here to wipe out the workforce.

According to LinkedIn’s 2024 Workforce Report, while 80% of jobs globally will be impacted by AI in some way, only 7% are at risk of being fully automated. That’s not an extinction event—it’s a shift in how work gets done.

And if we zoom in, it’s actually pretty exciting.
What’s going away isn’t human value—it’s repetition. Redundancy.
The stuff no one really enjoyed doing in the first place.

Josh Bersin’s research hits the nail on the head: AI is accelerating the shift away from rigid job titles and towards capability-based thinking. The question is no longer “What role do we need to fill?” but “What outcomes do we need to drive—and what human strengths will get us there?”

It’s less about someone’s CV, and more about how fast they can learn.
Less about where they’ve been, more about how they adapt.

So what’s being disrupted here?
Not people. Not even work, really.

It’s how we frame value.
And that requires a different kind of leadership—from all of us.

Gartner recently shared that only 24% of HR leaders believe their organisations are truly ready for a workforce that blends AI and human capability. That’s not a failure—it’s a signal. One that tells us we’re in a moment of leadership transition, not crisis.

And honestly? That’s fair. For years, transformation was something we planned for. We mapped it out, scoped the budget, ran the comms plan. But AI doesn’t play by those rules—it’s unpredictable, evolving daily. Which means we need to show up differently.

Leadership now isn’t about control—it’s about curiosity. It’s about asking better questions, being okay with ambiguity, and rethinking how we define performance and potential.

The shift is already happening.
Now it’s about how we choose to respond.

The organisations getting this right aren’t scrambling.
They’re designing.

They’re moving beyond job titles and investing in dynamic skill architectures. Everest Group highlights this in its research—high-performing businesses are prioritising ecosystems of capability over static roles.

They’re also recognising that Talent Acquisition isn’t just about hiring anymore—it’s about navigating the future. TA leaders are getting pulled into conversations around workforce design, internal mobility, and AI literacy—because how we find and grow people is business adaptability.

And yes, that means hiring differently.
The most agile teams are recruiting for curiosity. For humility. For learning velocity.

They’re embedding AI fluency across departments—not just in tech teams. They’re working closely with L&D to make upskilling part of the everyday employee experience.

LinkedIn’s latest Talent Trends report backs this up—internal talent marketplaces are gaining traction, helping match people to projects in real time. It’s not just smart retention—it’s smart risk management. A way to build capability that actually sticks.

Now, let’s bring it back to the humans.
Because even with all this talk of tech, they’re still the centre of the story.

But the bar is shifting.
The future doesn’t need humans who can repeat tasks. It needs humans who can reimagine them.

People who ask “what if?” more than “what now?”
People who are endlessly curious.
Who get comfortable with discomfort.
Who adapt—not because they have to, but because they want to.

This next chapter belongs to the fast-learners. The open-minded. The ones who move before the roadmap is printed. Who are okay with not having all the answers—but aren’t afraid to start asking better questions than the machine can answer.

Being human is no longer the default advantage.
It’s a differentiator. But only if we’re willing to evolve.

And for TA leaders?

This really is the moment.

You’ve spent years proving talent isn’t just about filling roles—it’s about building futures. Now, the table has moved—and you’re already sitting at it.

Because when skills are the new currency, the people who understand talent are the people who understand business.

This is also a moment to lead differently.

To partner more boldly. To speak up more often. To help shape—not just support—the future of work.

Because AI isn’t a cost-cutting tool.
It’s a spark.
And what it lights up will depend on the people—and principles—guiding the change.

We’re not facing a workforce apocalypse.
We’re facing a wake-up call.

AI won’t replace people. But it will replace mediocrity.
It’ll ask us to think harder about how we lead, how we hire, how we learn—and how we measure value.

The ones waiting for certainty might get left behind.
But the ones who embrace a bit of discomfort?
They’ll be the ones who build the future.