share on
With AI’s rise reshaping jobs and workplace trust, the leader urges HR leaders to invest in AI literacy, build diverse teams, and put people at the heart of innovation.
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has impacted humans in various ways, and it is crucial for HR teams to ensure that the use of AI is integrated safely, all while retaining the ‘human’ in HR.
Sharing how to successfully achieve the above was Emily Yang, Head of Human-Centered AI and Innovation, Strategy and Talent (HR, CABM, CRES, SCM), Standard Chartered, who took the stage for the opening keynote at this year’s Talent & Tech Asia Summit (TTAS).
She shared that people often overestimate AI’s short-term impact and, in turn, underestimate the long-term effects of AI.
“We live in exciting times, but at the same time, it's also overwhelming.”
Citing the Future of Jobs Report 2025 published in January, Yang highlighted the point that many new jobs were created with the power of AI. For instance, in the medical industry, AI agents have been used for medical assistance and diagnostics.
While this is so, media reports globally have noted that with the rise of AI, come higher chances – and even instances – of layoffs in various sectors, reinforcing the impact of such capabilities on the average knowledge worker.
Undoubtedly, this can raise concerns and fears among professionals, who are hit with a set of circular questions that can lead to an existential crisis. They start to question:
- "What is the meaning of my work?"
- "Will I have a career?"
- "How can I remain relevant?"
- "How can I get ahead?"
These, Yang shared, are the unspoken, but felt, impact of (gen)AI in the modern workplace.
Keeping the above in mind, the leader affirmed that there are still certain human experiences in this age of AI, that we need to be cognizant of to help us thrive in the modern workplace. To this effect, she shared four angles to consider:
1. Talent
The leader emphasised the need for organisations to invest in their talent, as people are the key to succeeding with AI. As such, she encouraged organisations to look into upskilling their employees for AI literacy.
This aspect is important as it creates a common core for future AI literacy programmes that can be more tools/role-specific. Within this common core, stand an understanding around AI, responsible usage of AI, what genAI is all about, and the possibilities of human-AI collaboration.
2. Tools
Employees need to be trained on using tools at the workplace, and one way is by using image-generation tools. The speaker explained that while responsible AI looks into the governance of AI tools, the ultimate purpose is to ensure the deployment of trustworthy and safe AI solutions by humans, for humans.
One way to do so is the development of diversity & inclusion (D&I) guidance for image-based content creation to minimise biases that may not surface in the generated content, but are inherent within the text and image datasets used to train these content models.
"Our AI tools are only as good as our employees know how to use them effectively and responsibly," Yang said.
3. Trust
Although the use of AI could be beneficial for the workplace, Yang cautioned that over-reliance on AI tools can lead to unfair and unethical outcomes. As such, employers still have to place their trust in their people and what they can deliver for their clients to counter the uncertainties they may face, which underscores the importance of AI literacy in the workforce.
4. Teams
Finally, Yang noted that companies need diversity and interdisciplinary teams to develop AI because diverse perspectives help organisations design, build, and adopt trustworthy and safe AI solutions.
Closing the session, she once again highlighted that trust is the key to creating a sense of belonging amongst employees in the rising age of AI.
"AI is an innovation happening for – not to – us. So, it’s important for us as HR to ensure our employees feel like a part of the journey, and not feel left out," she affirmed.
ALSO READ: New global study reveals high public adoption of AI across 47 countries
share on
