Beyond the AI hype: 10 critical takeaways from UNLEASH America 2025

As analysts tracking the evolution of work and technology, we witnessed a profound shift in conversations at this year’s UNLEASH America.

The dialogue has matured from ‘Will AI change everything?’ to ‘How do we intentionally shape that change?’

Here’s the insights that stood out.

1.  Competing visions of our sociotechnical future

A fascinating undercurrent at UNLEASH America 2025 was the implicit divergence in how leaders envision our technological evolution.

These competing visions rarely surfaced explicitly in main stage presentations but emerged clearly when reading between the lines.

At one extreme, some embraced a future where bots hold actual positions on org charts, functioning alongside—or instead of—the humans who once filled those roles.

The middle ground, championed by figures like Josh Bersin, centered on augmentation and the creation of ‘Superworkers’, with discussions focused on how humans could adopt and master these powerful new tools.

At the other end of the spectrum were those who insisted on keeping humans at the center—using technology primarily to improve employee experiences (as demonstrated by Enboarder), protect human-centered values in a machine-dominated world (Dr. Joy Buolamwini’s powerful keynote), or help people make better decisions amid overwhelming data (solutions like Visier/Vee).

These competing futures rarely clashed directly in formal presentations, but their tension was palpable throughout the conference.

2.  The vision vacuum in AI adoption

Perhaps the most striking theme was the warning delivered by multiple speakers about AI adoption without clear purpose.

As Josh Bersin noted in his keynote, “I believe that you’re going to look back 10 years from now and remember 2025” as the pivotal year when work reinvention truly began.

Josh Bersin on the Main Stage at UNLEASH America 2025.

But there’s a fundamental problem in how organizations are approaching this transformation.

In our workshop with Al Adamsen, we discussed that we’re facing ‘a strategy for collapse’ if we continue implementing AI tools without a shared vision of where they’re taking us.

The problem isn’t how fast we adopt AI — it’s that we haven’t agreed on where it’s taking us.

Without a shared vision for the role of humans in an AI-saturated society, we risk replacing work without reimagining value.

3.  HR’s unspoken anxiety

While the main stages featured polished presentations about technological possibilities, the hallways and networking sessions revealed a different story.

In side conversations, attendees expressed fear, anxiety, overwhelm, and uncertainty about where we’re heading—only certain that we’re moving there rapidly and that they feel perpetually behind.

This sense of being overwhelmed permeated many discussions. While public pressure pushes leaders to move faster and faster, the whispered conversations in workshop rooms revealed a contrasting desire to slow down.

There’s a hunger for time and cross-functional alignment around fundamental questions: What is the business trying to accomplish? What’s needed to get there? What does success actually look like? How will we know if we’ve achieved it?

These basic but critical questions often go unasked in the rush to implement the latest tools.

4.  The shifting value proposition for humans

A challenging question echoed throughout the conference halls: If AI is cheaper, faster, and more consistent, why keep humans in the loop at all?

Imagine a CEO intrigued by the possibility of replacing humans with AI. The question becomes existential: What unique value do humans bring? Why bother with them when they’re expensive, out of direct control, and create drama?

This isn’t a hypothetical scenario anymore—it’s a live business consideration.

Google’s Chief Talent & Learning Officer Brian Glaser didn’t mince words when he stated that “leading right now is not for the faint of heart”.

The old leadership models simply won’t work as organizations grapple with redefining human contribution.

This existential question is driving workplace anxiety.

Our Fractional Insights Angst Index research revealed that 44% of workers are experiencing angst around insecurity, stagnation, or irrelevance. This isn’t just a philosophical concern anymore, it’s a measurable business challenge.

5.  The power of language around AI

The ongoing conversation around terminology used to describe AI as a ‘tool’ versus ‘worker’ or ‘agent’ highlights the increasing importance of language in shaping our understanding and perception of these technologies.

This distinction carries significant implications for how we integrate AI into our workflows and consider its relationship with human talent.

We observed a growing critical mass of leaders who frame AI not as another ’employee’ or ‘coworker‘ but as a tool.

This subtle shift in language has profound implications for organizational structure, management approaches, and ultimately, the future of work itself.

While an ‘AI coworker’ might be a helpful mental model for bottoms-up adoption because it might inspire employees to see the immense power it holds to accelerate their performance, it can have dark consequences when used in organizational design.

6.  The moving target of work redesign

A particularly sobering reality emerged in discussions about redesigning work with AI: we’re attempting to transform processes we don’t fully understand.

Even first-line managers often lack comprehensive knowledge of all the tasks required to get work done in their departments.

How can we redesign work when we don’t have an intimate understanding of how the work gets done in the first place?

The risk in rushing to implement AI in these circumstances means risking entrenching dysfunctional models vs. solving dysfunctional models.

For example, we’re using AI to identify poor performers based on performance ratings. But most of the time, people – including the raters – don’t trust the accuracy of those ratings to begin with.

The challenge of dysfunction entrenchment was illustrated dramatically just before the conference when OpenAI rolled back a GPT-4o model update because its sycophantic behavior presented mental health risks.

The insight? AI tools have the potential to detract from progress, require recall, or have a fall from grace altogether given the speed with which we are adopting.

As one workshop attendee noted: “The sand is moving under our feet as we try to redesign”.

7.  The House of Cards of AI-driven talent acquisition

In the opening session of Day One, Talent Tech Labs’ Brian Delle Donne discussed the increasing reliance on AI for resume screening in talent acquisition.

However, the coinciding rise of AI for resume writing for intelligent optimization of applications within these systems raises concerns about a potential ‘gaming’ of the system.

If candidates are optimizing their applications with AI to please the AI, this can amplify lack of genuine alignment with job requirements in order to achieve a desired outcome of being hired.

This begs the question of whether these AI-driven approaches will ultimately lead to better – or worse – hiring outcomes than current methods.

The idea of restricting AI use in application preparation was discussed but seems paradoxical given the intense desire for employees to utilize such tools once on the job.

Does it make sense to prevent candidates from using the very tools we’re hiring them to use?

8.  The expired ‘moral justification’ for wellbeing

In panel at the end of the Day One Talent Summit, leaders discussed whether the imperative for employee wellbeing has weakened given a peak during the pandemic that has now diminished. But this is a mistaken and potentially costly narrative.

While the moral framing for wellbeing may have lost urgency in the post-pandemic world, the strategic imperative has only intensified.

In today’s economic environment, where every investment is scrutinized for return, employee well-being should not be seen as a feel-good expense but as a core driver of organizational performance.

Positive employee experience directly impacts key business outcomes such as productivity, engagement, retention, innovation, and ultimately, financial performance.

When HR teams quietly concede to cost-cutting pressures without demonstrating the measurable business impact of these initiatives, it sends an implicit message: That well-being efforts were never strategic, but merely “nice to have”.

And if the moral case no longer holds weight, these programs are quietly deprioritized and reflect a significant strategic error.

HR must take a proactive stance, making the business case for wellbeing with clarity and rigor.

That means showcasing ROI, surfacing data, and reframing well-being not as a soft initiative but as infrastructure for performance.

Just as talent acquisition is universally acknowledged as critical, so too should be the design of the systems, rewards, and environments in which that talent operates.

Organizations that invest in the full employee lifecycle — selection and experience — will be best positioned to sustain high performance, especially in today’s volatile and high-stakes environment.

9.  The imperative of HR measurement

Related to insight eight, the critical need for robust measurement strategies for all HR programs and initiatives was underscored repeatedly in our conversations.

Implementing programs without a clear plan for evaluating their impact hinders our ability to demonstrate value, learn, and solidify effective practices as the ‘new normal’.

Imagine if we had achieved 100% compliance on evaluating HR investments five years ago. What business outcomes might we have seen, and what progress could have been entrenched as standard practice by now?

The inability to answer this question highlights the opportunity cost of insufficient measurement.

10. HR’s role and responsibility

Among the most profound questions raised at UNLEASH were: What is HR’s role in this rapidly evolving landscape? What future are we trying to create, and what is our responsibility in shaping it?

Today, the real work lies in tackling ‘unowned problems’: the challenges that don’t fall neatly under the purview of the CHRO, CIO, COO, or CEO.

These are cross-functional issues that defy traditional boundaries and demand new ways of thinking and collaborating.

The transformation of HR into a truly strategic function requires a shift away from siloed operations toward a holistic, systems-oriented approach, especially as organizations integrate artificial intelligence.

Yet this shift is not easy. Even vendors who critique point solutions often end up offering just another disconnected tool.

The future of work won’t be solved by a single function or vendor. Designing for systems-level change, and creating space for cross-functional alignment, is disciplined, often difficult work.

This sentiment was echoed by Atlassian’s Chief People Officer, Avani Prabhakar, who boldly stated that “HR and IT are the most strategic functions in the organization right now.”

Her point underscores the critical responsibility HR holds: to lead the charge in enabling robust cross-functional collaboration.

As work continues to evolve, HR and IT emerge as pivotal partners in navigating the complex intersections of people, process, and technology.

To address these ‘unowned problems’, HR must adopt a systems-level mindset, moving beyond the constraints of department-specific solutions. It must foster environments where asking the hard, forward-thinking questions becomes the norm.

This includes not just the visionary “What does success look like?” but also the cautionary “How could we be wrong?” and “What could go wrong?”

Ultimately, HR’s role is to help organizations slow down with intention in order to move forward with clarity.

By encouraging thoughtful, proactive design and decision-making, HR can ensure organizations reap the benefits of AI and technological advancement while maintaining a human-centric, responsible approach to work.

The path forward for HR

MIT Professor Max Tegmark‘s perspective provided perhaps the most practical guidance for navigating this uncertain landscape: “The smart way of dealing with uncertainty is to not make 20-year plans, but to make shorter-term plans with built-in flexibility.”

Max Tegmark on the Main Stage for his UNLEASH America keynote.

As organizations navigate the AI revolution, this flexibility, combined with intentional design and cross-functional collaboration, will be essential. The winners won’t simply be those who adopt AI fastest, but those who create the most thoughtful integration between human and artificial intelligence.

UNLEASH America 2025 made it clear that we’re at an inflection point.

We’re no longer debating whether AI will transform work. We’re deciding how to shape that transformation in ways that enhance human flourishing and business performance simultaneously.

The economic implications of widespread automation raise fundamental questions: Will there be sufficient demand for goods and services if a significant portion of the population is unemployed? This crucial systemic impact needs careful consideration.

This moment isn’t just about redesigning work. It’s about redefining how we solve problems—together.