EY: Organizations that balance technical capability and human-centered skills will lead in the AI-driven future

AI is changing the way we work – but the conversation is shifting from just how AI is transforming the workplace, to how leaders are responsible for facilitating this change.

In an exclusive conversation with UNLEASH, Sandra Oliver, Global Assurance Talent Leader at EY – who has more than 25 years in accounting and audit – shares how she’s leading the talent strategy for over 130,000 professionals worldwide.

As AI becomes more advanced, Oliver discusses that the biggest opportunities will come to employees who are able to pair technical expertise with curiosity, adaptability and strong judgment.

Oliver highlights how the real inflection point now lies in whether leaders are prepared to make deliberate choices to upskill their workforce to create a more robust workforce strategy moving forward – UNLEASH investigates.

Implementing a culture of continuous learning at EY

With AI transforming the workplace, Oliver shares how she has seen the technology impacting accounting giant EY first-hand – especially regarding early-career professionals. 

Within the business, the assurance teams are using AI to automate routine and repetitive tasks, which frees up time for more strategic, high-value work. 

Oliver expresses that this shift creates availability for young professionals to “focus on deeper analysis”, while exercising “professional judgment”, and “engaging in continuous learning” right from the very start of their careers.

While AI is often seen as a tool for efficiency, its real power lies in accelerating development,” she says. “It enables faster upskilling, enhances technical and analytical capabilities, and provides exposure to complex problem-solving earlier in one’s career.”

As more organizations move toward more advanced technologies like agentic AI, Oliver suggests that professionals who combine AI fluency with strong expertise and critical thinking will be at the “forefront of innovation – driving greater insights and value for clients and the business as a whole.”

Consequently, EY recognizes that continuous learning and agility are essential skills for preparing our employees to lead in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. 

To demonstrate this, Oliver’s team specifically are investing heavily in upskilling more than 130,000 Assurance professionals globally – with a strong focus on AI, data, and analytics.

“On-the-job learning remains our most powerful development tool,” she adds. “We are embedding leading-edge technologies into our global Assurance platforms. 

“Last year, EY Assurance announced large-scale integration of AI technologies in the global Assurance technology platforms.

“For example, the integration of advanced AI tools like EYQ, our proprietary generative AI capability, enables our people to access and synthesize complex accounting and auditing content more efficiently, accelerating both audit quality and professional growth.”

Beyond this technology, EY is also focused on offering a wide range of learning opportunities, including specialist training, hands-on projects, and certification programs. 

What’s more, the EY Badges program is a “standout initiative”, as it provides free digital credentials across areas such as AI and data analytics to professionals at varied levels. To date, the business has issued over 98,000 AI-related badges, which Oliver says reflects its “commitment to building a future-ready workforce.”

She further notes that EY’s foundation of continuous learning and tech fluency supplies its employees with the necessary tools to “step confidently into future leadership roles,” while preparing them to “drive innovation and deliver greater value in a tech-enabled future.”

AI fluency is the future of work

As EY is focused on continuous learning, Oliver recognizes one particular skill as essential for individual and organizational success: AI fluency. 

Employees will need to understand how to work alongside intelligent agents, “guiding, validating, and interpreting their outputs”. 

As a result, Oliver expects to see growth in “experiential learning, simulation-based training, and more robust AI governance” to ensure responsible and transparent use of these technologies.

Using the example of auditing careers, Oliver highlights how agentic AI will “elevate the role of the auditor” as professionals will be “empowered to focus earlier in their careers on higher-order activities,” such as risk assessment, strategic analysis, and stakeholder communication. 

Yet human skills – critical thinking, creativity and ethical judgment, for example – will remain indispensable.

It’s important to be “investing in human skills that technology can’t replicate”, she explains. “Critical thinking, collaboration, and communication will be essential to challenge assumptions.

Ultimately, agentic AI won’t replace auditors – it will amplify their capabilities. By embracing this evolution, we can unlock new levels of productivity, insight, and value.”

Although Oliver shares an optimistic view of AI’s impact on the future of work, others may have some skepticism, so she warns that leaders should not view AI “as a threat, but as a catalyst” for elevating work. 

To fully realize AI’s potential, Oliver suggests that organizations should “prioritize upskilling and reimagine how learning happens,” while insisting that “traditional training methods won’t be enough”. 

Alternatively, businesses should “foster a culture of continuous learning” where professionals are about to learn through “hands-on application, real-time feedback, and immersive development opportunities”. 

“Ultimately, organizations that strike the right balance between technical capability and human-centered skills will lead the way – becoming destinations for top talent seeking meaningful, future-focused careers in a digitally empowered audit profession,” Oliver concludes.

As the talent and leadership landscape will continue to evolve rapidly, it will be shaped by ongoing shifts in the global labor market and the “accelerating pace of technological change”. 

Businesses therefore need to ensure that new hires are “digitally fluent, adaptable, and ready to work alongside emerging technologies” such as AI.

This is highlighted in EY’s Mobility Reimagined survey, which highlights that only about half of companies globally find it easy to hire the right talent.

The data therefore suggests that to stay competitive, organizations will need to “rethink their talent strategies,” while focusing not only on attracting the right people but also on “building cultures of continuous learning and development”.

Concluding, Oliver notes: “To thrive in this evolving landscape, organizations must embrace continuous learning that not only keeps pace with technological advancements but also prioritizes the development of essential human skills. 

By investing in both digital fluency and human-centered capabilities, businesses can build resilient, future-ready teams.”