DUBLIN, April 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Aon plc (NYSE: AON), one of the world’s leading professional services firms, today released its first report Human Capital Trends Studyrevealing a critical gap at the heart of enterprise AI strategies: organizations recognize that their people will drive AI success, but they are not investing in their people strategies.
According to the study, 88% of employers agree that AI will require their workforce to develop new skills and rank human capabilities such as adaptability, leadership and change management as the top factors for success over the next three years, even ahead of technical skills.
While 73% of organizations have already deployed or are testing AI programs, only 18% say most of their workforce has participated in AI reskilling or upskilling programs in the past year. The gap is most visible where AI strategies are advanced in isolation, without clear alignment to business goals, operating models, or the workforce capabilities needed to implement them.
Only 28% of organizations surveyed have hired employees with AI expertise, underscoring their continued reliance on in-house talent development. The result is a disconnect between what organizations know drives success and how they prioritize resources – a disconnect that appears to be a significant risk to business value.
“The winners in the application of AI will lead with world-class people strategies,” said Greg Case, president and CEO of Aon. “AI represents a historic opportunity for growth, particularly for organizations that approach transformation by integrating people and technology, so they evolve together. By bridging the gap between ambition and preparation, leaders can act with confidence, build long-term resilience, and win today and in the future.
Workforce Readiness Shapes AI Performance at Scale
While organizations are investing heavily in AI, many are deploying the technology faster than they are developing the skills, structures and human support needed to make it effective. The study reveals that many organizations continue to prioritize short-term efficiency gains over developing the workforce capabilities needed to sustain their impact. Eighty percent of organizations cite automation of routine tasks as a primary goal of AI; only 35 percent prioritize workforce upskilling and reskilling.
At the same time, executives recognize that human capabilities will increasingly determine the success of AI, 84% of employers say human strengths will become more important as automation increases, and 37% of executives identify future workforce skills shortages as their top concern over the next five to 10 years. Together, these findings highlight a clear misalignment: organizations are accelerating automation while underinvesting in the people needed to implement it differently.
The study highlights that human risks are business risks. Workforce readiness is a critical factor in translating AI investments into consistent execution. When leaders lack clear expectations and guardrails for how AI is used, or when preparation efforts lag behind deployment, organizations face slower adoption, fragmented decision-making, and greater operational and reputational exposure, limiting the performance gains AI is expected to deliver.
“The success of AI ultimately depends on their people, but most still invest primarily in the technology. It’s in this disconnect that we lose opportunities,” said Byron Beebe, CEO of Aon Human Capital. “Closing the readiness gap requires a coordinated approach – building skills and confidence, establishing clear governance, and enabling leaders to guide change – so that technology investments translate into lasting performance and resilience.
Organizations that operationalize AI also invest in their people
The study also reveals that organizations more advanced in AI deployment demonstrate better alignment between their technology strategy and that of their workforce. For example, organizations that have fully deployed AI are twice as likely to rate their leaders’ commitment to employee well-being as strong and visible than those that have discussed AI but taken no action.
This suggests that the ability to operationalize AI is closely linked to a broader focus on human sustainability, engagement and trust – factors that enable organizations to effectively adapt change and sustain performance over time.
Transforming AI investments into impact
Beyond identifying risks, Aon’s Human Capital Trends study outlines practical actions organizations can take to close the readiness gap and unlock the value of AI. These include aligning AI strategy with workforce planning; assess AI skills and future capability needs and invest in structured reskilling and upskilling across the organization, building leadership capacity to guide change with clear governance and guardrails; and using data and analytics from more mature, connected people to make smarter decisions about where to invest. Organizations that act decisively can build a more resilient, confident and productive workforce and fully realize the promise of AI.
As AI adoption accelerates, organizations face a clear choice: continue to prioritize technology alone or invest equally in the workforce needed to make it effective. Those who bridge the gap between intention and action by developing skills, strengthening culture, and fostering leadership will be best positioned to transform AI into a sustainable competitive advantage.
Read the full study on human capital trends in 2026 here.
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