New IBM CHRO Study: AI Puts Critical Thinking at the Center of Workforce Priorities
IBM, Monday, September 21st, 2026
IBM's global CHRO study finds AI is straining critical thinking, accountability, and HR involvement in workforce strategy.
IBM released a global study of 1,500 CHROs and 8,800 employees examining how AI is reshaping workforce priorities. Sixty percent of employees worry AI is eroding their skills, especially critical thinking, while 71% of CHROs call supervising AI outputs essential versus only 29% of employees who value judgment.
Nearly half of organizations exclude CHROs from AI strategy development, and 43% of employees say they bear blame when AI systems fail.
Eighty percent of CHROs acknowledge AI creates invisible work through validation and error correction, while HR itself lags in AI literacy and performance measurement.