I try to play it cool, but if I’m being honest, AI is a little scary, especially from a professional perspective. Imagine you’re a renowned chef stepping into a kitchen you know like the back of your hand. But now, the knives sharpen themselves, the oven predicts your next move, and the blender… talks. That’s sorta what the new AI-powered workplace feels like to me. You can’t rely on the same old recipes—it’s time to rethink the entire menu.
That’s the challenge Margaret Spence tackled in her most recent ELB Learning webinar, Don’t Get Left Behind: Five Defining Roles Every Talent Leader Must Master to Own the Age of AI. If talent development professionals don’t evolve, they—and their organizations—risk falling behind in a world where artificial intelligence is rewriting every rule.
Beyond Prompts and Platforms
This discussion isn’t just about writing better prompts or learning the latest tools. Talent development must move beyond tactics into transformation. AI is reshaping the workforce at breakneck speed, with disruption already touching everything from customer service to search engine operations. Some workers are thriving while others are falling through the cracks.
To meet this reality head-on, we need to recognize four types of employees. Most conversations center around upskilling (helping people level up in their current roles) and reskilling (preparing them for entirely new ones). But we must also account for the underskilled (those lacking key foundational capabilities) and the unskilled (those with no relevant training at all).
Failing to address the latter two categories means failing to build a truly inclusive learning culture, plus losing valuable talent in the process.
Shedding Light on the Invisible Workforce
Every organization has employees who’ve been passed over; quiet contributors who’ve sat in the same chair for years, not because they lack ambition, but because they were told no too many times, they’re exhausted.
But they still matter.
Development shouldn’t be a privilege; it’s a right that should be freely given to every employee. And growth doesn’t always have to mean a promotion. It also means resilience and agility. It means being ready for what comes next, whether that’s a lateral move, gaining deeper expertise, or mustering up the confidence to explore emerging technologies. Talent leaders must see their role not as gatekeepers of opportunity, but as champions of potential.
Equal Access or Gated Pathway?
Is learning in your organization open to everyone, or is it only available to those who have their manager’s approval? Too often, development opportunities hinge on subjective approvals. That’s a legacy model, and in an AI-powered world, it’s a liability. Democratizing learning means removing barriers and giving every employee—regardless of background or bandwidth—equal access to growth opportunities.
When people don’t participate in training, it’s easy to assume they’re resistant. However, the real reasons are often deeper: caregiving responsibilities, digital access gaps, and burnout. Talent leaders must listen first, then build pathways that meet people where they are.
The Five Roles Talent Leaders Must Master
To succeed in this new environment, talent development professionals must adopt five critical identities to usher their employees across the raging AI waters into a future-ready organization.
1. | Visionary Cultivator. Focus on potential, not just performance. Envision growth beyond mere job descriptions and design ecosystems that make it possible for less boisterous, silent talent to thrive as well. |
2. | Empowering Coach. Help employees own their learning journeys. Create motivational structures, use language that resonates, and ensure people feel supported—not threatened—by the integration of AI. |
3. | Inclusive Innovation Catalyst. Build culturally diverse teams that use their differences to develop creative results. Contrary to popular belief, inclusion isn’t a trivial matter; it’s one of the secrets to true innovation. A bevy of perspectives leads to better decision-making and stronger learning cultures. |
4. | Collaborative Ecosystem Builder. Tear down silos and facilitate interdepartmental knowledge sharing. In an AI-enabled workplace, collaboration is no longer optional—it’s actually quite crucial. |
5. | Boundary Pusher. Challenge assumptions about who can grow and how fast. Create stretch assignments, microlearning opportunities, and space for employees to explore, fail, and adapt. |
Rethinking the Conversation Around AI
How we talk about AI is just as important as how we implement it. Expressing excitement in AI innovation can sound like a threat to job security. We have to shift the narrative:
AI isn’t replacing people—it’s redefining what people can do.
Talent leaders must become translators who guide the workforce through change with empathy, clarity, and purpose. That means using language that acknowledges fear while also lighting the path forward. It means adapting delivery methods—like podcasts for deskless workers or short-form training for time-starved teams—to make learning accessible to everyone.
You Hold the Blueprint
In the end, talent development isn’t about checking a box; it’s about building the future. Don’t just design courses or routinely fill skill gaps. Be an architect of possibility, the chef creating a mouthwatering new recipe in a kitchen filled with smart appliances that make your job easier.
Yes, the tools have changed, but the goal hasn’t: empower people to grow, thrive, and succeed.
Want the full recipe for future-proofing your workforce? Watch the full webinar recording below.
Want a tool for creating bite-sized microlearning opportunities that gradually educate your team? Check out MicroBuilder.
Disclaimer: The ideas, perspectives, and strategies shared in this article reflect the expertise of our featured speaker, Margaret Spence. To explore more of her insights, be sure to follow her on LinkedIn.
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