Empowering the Frontline Workforce with AI and Human-Centric Leadership

Despite growing optimism about AI, anxiety remains widespread among frontline employees.

Data from UKG and Workplace Intelligence’s 2025 Frontline Workforce Study shows that 85% of frontline employees believe it would be a “huge mistake” to replace humans with AI, while two-thirds (64%) worry AI could take their jobs.

A further 65% are concerned that someone who knows how to use AI could replace them.

HR leaders need to acknowledge this tension.

While most frontline jobs (from facilities management to healthcare) aren’t at immediate risk of automation, the perception of threat is powerful. HR’s challenge is to build trust: communicating clearly, showing where AI adds value, and proving it enhances rather than replaces human work.

The Frontline Digital Divide

A recurring challenge discussed in our closed-door conversation at UNLEASH World was access, or the lack of it, as a critical barrier.

Many frontline employees don’t have company-issued devices, consistent or reliable internet access, let alone regular exposure to HR systems and training platforms. This digital gap limits participation in transformation efforts and deepens the sense of exclusion from “the future of work.”

True AI readiness, participants agreed, starts with digital equity by ensuring that every employee has access not just to technology, but to relevant HR information, learning opportunities, and transparent communication about change.

From Fear to Empowerment: Building Understanding and Trust

UKG’s study found that 42% of frontline workers don’t understand how AI could help them, and 51% say their employer hasn’t communicated anything about its impact. This lack of clarity fuels resistance and fear.

The group discussed solutions for countering this through education and small, tangible wins. For instance, introducing AI tools that help employees find HR answers faster, find flexibility in scheduling, or recommend personalized training. When workers experience AI as useful and helpful, perceptions begin to shift, and trust builds.

Equally critical is manager readiness. HR leaders spoke about the need to “rewire” managers to create “super managers” capable of using AI insights to enhance and deepen human connection, not replace it.

These leaders will be vital as we move into the future, acting as translators between business priorities and employee needs, helping teams navigate ambiguity with confidence.

Throughout the conversation, one theme stood out: AI doesn’t replace leaders, it redefines what leadership looks like.

The Data Foundation: Cleaning, Connecting and Coordinating

Data enables better human decisions, revealing patterns that help managers act earlier and more empathetically.

For example, one company discovered high turnover at a particular site was linked to poor transport connections. AI surfaced the insight; a human conversation solved the problem.

This is future-ready leadership: combining data-driven insight with curiosity, compassion, and decisive action.

As organizations enter what many described as a discovery phase of AI adoption, data emerged as both the biggest challenge and opportunity. Several leaders admitted that implementing AI tools forced long-overdue data cleansing (from removing outdated HR policies to unifying scattered records across legacy systems).

This “fabric layer” of connected, trusted data is becoming the foundation for all future AI-enabled HR processes.

The Leadership Mandate

In the end, the discussion circled back to trust. Employees don’t resist AI because they dislike technology; they resist it when they don’t understand it or don’t trust the intentions behind it.

For HR leaders, the mandate is clear:

• Demystify AI. Communicate its role, benefits, and limits transparently.

• Invest in access and data. Build the foundations that make equitable AI adoption possible.

• Empower your managers. Equip them to lead with empathy, backed by insight.