Work and organizations: what AI is reshaping
Published June 10, 2025
- Data & AI
AI, a trigger for human and organizational transformation
Artificial Intelligence is no longer a topic of foresight: it is now widely present, integrated into tools, managerial decisions, and work processes. Its most recent forms – generative, then agentic – no longer just automate, they disrupt human “cognitive” skills such as analysis, writing, or idea generation. Driven by widespread adoption, often initiated by the employees themselves, AI is establishing itself well beyond a few experiments launched by IT departments or business units: it is profoundly transforming practices, roles, relationships, management, organizations, and representations of work.
Reducing AI to a mere promise of productivity gains would, in fact, miss the point. Beyond its technical performance, which is expected to grow drastically and continuously, AI now acts primarily as the catalyst for a deep transformation of work and organizations. It compels us to reconsider what constitutes the very value of work.
In this context, the HR function is at the forefront of a transition that places human issues at the center of organizations, which are necessarily disrupted by this technological reality. As the guarantor of people, their skills, and their future, the HR function must play a central and anticipatory role in the transition: supporting employees in an increasingly hybrid world, anticipating the impacts on their careers, establishing ethical and inclusive rules of engagement, and also reinventing its own practices.
It is in this spirit that a collaborative initiative was launched by ANDRH Paris-Étoile, French Tech Grand Paris, and Wavestone, with a single ambition: to understand the transformations that AI brings to work, organizations, and the HR function. This publication, the result of a collaboration with HR Directors of large organizations, offers a concise analysis of the impacts of AI on the main HR processes. It aims to inform the thought processes of HR professionals and to offer concrete benchmarks for a responsible, and human-centered and enlightened adoption of AI in both public and private organizations.
The summary of the study in 10 key points
AI is becoming a symbol of modernity in employer branding, increasingly expected by candidates on par with organizations’ societal and environmental commitments. It enables the personalization of the employee experience, yet it also presents challenges around collective cohesion and the clarity of career paths. Its true impact on talent attraction depends on its integration into a broader vision, aligned with the organization’s culture and values. Transparency around AI’s use in HR thus becomes a key factor in building trust and ensuring coherence.
The growing use of AI in recruitment offers efficiency gains but also calls for increased vigilance around biases, transparency, and the role of human judgment. It is transforming evaluation criteria, placing greater value on attributes such as curiosity or ease with AI systems, without diminishing the importance of traditional job expertise. The recruiter remains the guarantor of fairness and the quality of the candidate experience. Recognizing AI-related skills, including through compensation policies, must be approached with balance, taking into account other equally essential dimensions.
AI is reshaping skill requirements, favoring transversality and continuous learning over purely “technical” mastery of a subject. It transforms jobs without necessarily replacing them, shifting value towards hybrid skills such as critical thinking, adaptability, cooperation with the machine. To prevent a growing divide, organizations must promote inclusive learning opportunities. Human expertise remains essential but will increasingly focus on what the machines cannot replace: discernment, relationships, contextualization.
AI is creating new perspectives in terms of internal mobility, previously less evident through solely the human perspective. However, its impact depends on human and transparent supervision for employees. It accelerates certain learning processes but also risks undermining traditional benchmarks of progression if real-world experience and engagement with “complexity” are overlooked. The most experienced professionals see their role evolving towards discernment and transmission, provided they themselves remain engaged in continuous adaptation and learning.
Redefining performance becomes essential in a context where human contributions are mixed with outputs from AI systems. What matters is no longer limited to what is measurable; other criteria related to behavioral skills must also be considered. The manager’s role remains key in interpreting results, valuing unique contributions, and establishing a trusting environment, in which employees can speak freely about their use of AI without fear of judgment or loss of legitimacy.
AI-related transformations are disrupting the cultural and collective dynamics of work. By altering interactions, it can sometimes weaken informal bonds and the “invisible” work of employees, often linked to social connections. Generational differences in AI adoption can create tensions, but they can also offer concrete opportunities for mutual knowledge share and learning, which should be fully encouraged. AI is also reshaping our relationship with time and mental load, accelerating cognitive overload and providing discreet support. Preserving the quality of the collective is becoming a key issue for HR and managers.
As AI is reshuffling the boundaries between different departments (HR, IT, and business units, etc.), the HR function must reaffirm its role in decisions that impact work organization and employees. Without shared governance, initiatives risk multiplying without coherence. The diverse stances of HRDs on these issues can foster a dynamic of collective learning. AI is also reconfiguring certain HR roles and is paving the way for a new operational model, which is more transversal and centered on career paths and uses.
AI is offering the HR function new leeway, but its integration is also revealing structural weaknesses that are often underestimated. The large-scale deployment of AI use cases in HR is challenged by the complexity of HRIS ecosystems, data quality, and sometimes the absence of a clearly formulated HR vision. The challenge is not so much technological as organizational: turning AI into a true a lever for transformation requires agile governance, coherent infrastructure, and rigorous data management – foundations of reliability essential for building relevant and, above all, sustainable applications.
Work and organizations: what AI is reshaping
pdf · 925KO
Download the study (only in French)We would like to thank all the HR directors that contribute to this study:
- Dan Abergel, CMA CGM
- Jacques Adoue, Edenred
- Franck Aime, Veepee
- Julien Bourgeois, Louis Vuitton
- Samantha Bowles, Clariane
- Dominique Cavalié, Française des Jeux
- Laurent Choain, Forvis Mazars
- Jérôme Friteau, Assurance Retraite
- Hélène Halec, APEC
- Olivier Hérout, Equans
- Sarah Hette, Kiabi
- Lydie Jallier, Keolis
- Dominique Laurent, Schneider Electric France
- Sylvain Montcouquiol, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield
- Guillaume Rabel-Suquet, Petit Forestier Group
- Anne Rebuffel, Axa France
- Delphine Salla, Axa France
- Philippe Trimborn, Orange
- Anne-Catherine Unger, Alstom
- Majda Vincent, Sodexo France
Social dialogue around AI is gradually being built, driven in particular by the concerns of increasingly tech-savvy social partners who are very proactive on the topic. While approaches remain varied across organizations, conversations are beginning to coalesce around use cases and human impacts. In the face of a transformation that is both transversal and constantly evolving, these dynamics call for a rethinking of dialogue formats that are sometimes too rigid. More flexible, multi-level spaces could foster a more shared and sustainable appropriation.