It’s been another busy year for the UNLEASH Editorial team, covering everything you need to know to stay informed on the hottest stories from the HR world.

AI is unsurprisingly well represented among the Top 10 most-read articles from UNLEASH this year, covering use cases, investments and product launches, and the potential impact it can have.

But HR’s focus on aligning with overarching organizational strategies, and keeping people at the heart of talent strategies, also shone through clearly in this year’s list.

As you’d expect, the UNLEASH Editorial team covered all these topics with exclusive interviews, analysis and news from some of the biggest and most innovative employers out there.

Check out the top 10 below:

Medtronic: ‘If we expect candidates to be excited about joining us, we need to give them an experience that feels exciting’

Four in 100 people know who Medtronic is – this means, when it comes to recruiting, the $32.3 billion-revenue med tech giant needs to think outside the box.

Prior to his session at UNLEASH America 2025, Medtronic’s VP of Global TA Mark Smith shared with the UNLEASH Editorial team the secrets to success.

Hint: Technology has a role to play, but candidate experience is a key piece of the puzzle.

DEI: Which companies have rolled back their commitments?

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) has been a strategic priority for numerous organizations in recent years, particularly following social trends and increased scrutiny from employees and potential candidates.

However, the wave of anti-DEI sentiments, driven by President Trump and other vocal individuals saw some of the biggest companies around the world roll back on DEI commitments.

UNLEASH recorded which companies are abandoned their DEI initiatives and policies; which organizations rolled back on diversity, equity and inclusion in 2025?

Is AI causing a decline in cognitive and creative skills?

What if the AI tools used by millions of people every day are actually eroding our ability to think?

That’s the question that Ben Eubanks, HR industry analyst and Chief Research Officer at Lighthouse Research & Advisory, asked in his first UNLEASH column.

“Using AI to generate email responses, answer questions on your behalf, or give you ideas for projects is fundamentally altering your ability to think and do those tasks,” Eubanks posited.

OpenAI unveils Jobs Platform and Certifications as both disruptor of and solution for AI-based future of work

OpenAI made its move on the talent acquisition space through a new job matching and placement platform, to enable employers to find and hire AI-focused talent.

At the same time, it is also announced a series of AI Certifications aimed at enhancing levels of AI literacy and skills.

Initial reactions to the news were mixed, with some HR experts highlighting that disruption on such a scale may be a step too far for the ChatGPT developer.

Going ‘All In’ on AI: Inside EY’s $1.4 billion investment in the future of work

One of the world’s largest consultancies, EY, is going ‘all in’ on its AI strategy through a $1.4 billion investment.

Upskilling has played a crucial role in preparing EY’s 400,000-strong global workforce for the AI era.

UNLEASH spoke exclusively to Raj Sharma, EY Global Managing Partner of Growth and Innovation, to get the inside story of the consultancy giant’s AI strategy.

Why Moderna merged HR and IT to better ‘architect the flow of work’

$3.2 billion revenue biotech company Moderna garnered headlines for its decision to merge IT and HR into one department.

What motivated this decision? How will it transform how Moderna’s 5,000 people work?

UNLEASH dug into these questions, as well as explored the biotech company’s approach to AI specifically in this exclusive interview with Moderna Chief People and Digital Technology Officer, Tracey Franklin.

Spotify CHRO Katarina Berg on why the company has launched a HR people analytics solution

Music streaming giant Spotify has been dancing to the beat of its own human analytics platform since 2020.

Now the $14 billion revenue organization is set to bring Disco to HR leaders elsewhere with its own take on how people analytics can work.

UNLEASH spoke exclusively to CHRO Katarina Berg, and Global Head of HR Insight & HRIS, Gary Munro, to get the inside track on Disco.

5 things HR needs to know from WEF’s 2025 Future of Jobs Report

The World Economic Report published its bi-annual Future of Jobs Report at the start of 2025.

The data presents a “mixed picture” of the global labor market; there are lots of positives, but there are also definitely some areas of warning and advice for employers to take note of.

UNLEASH dug into the report, and compiled a list of five trends that HR leaders must pay attention over the next five years.

Visa Head of Talent: Let’s ‘stop trying to teach people stuff’, and instead give the megaphone to employees on AI

AI is not new to $35.9 billion-revenue payments giant Visa – it has been at the heart of its business for four decades.

So, what did AI in 2025 look like for Visa’s 32,000-strong workforce? UNLEASH found out from Visa’s Global Head of Talent Jeremy Broome.

Read the full exclusive interview to get the inside track, and find out why a partnership with LinkedIn Learning is helping the payment giant with the skills needed for the AI-powered world of work.

BCG’s AI at Work 2025 report: Four takeaways for HR leaders

Boston Consulting Group (BCG) published the 2025 edition of the AI at Work Report in July.

UNLEASH dug into the report with Nick South, Managing Director and Senior Partner at BCG, to discover the four top takeaways HR leaders need to know about AI in the workplace.

These include the need to demonstrate clear leadership on the value and right ways of using Gen AI, and the current under utilization of agentic AI.