The Conference Board's CHRO Confidence Index edged lower in Q3 as fewer HR leaders expect headcount to grow and retention concerns rise.

AI did not create the human skills gap; it accelerated its consequences. Critical thinking suffers, creating a workforce-development priority for human resource leaders.

Businessolver says there is an AI readiness gap. While leaders see employee enthusiasm, CHROs prioritize productivity over upskilling and workers report unease.

The simpler first phase of AI adoption—handing people a chatbot—is giving way to a harder one: rewiring the systems, data and workflows underneath.