Advertise on podcast: The Josh Bersin Company

In this episode, Kathi Enderes sits down with Rob McAuslan, Vice President for Artificial Intelligence at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), one of the world’s largest and most innovative online universities with more than 200,000 students. Before leading SNHU’s AI strategy, Rob taught, worked, and volunteered across Africa, the Mediterranean, and East Asia, working with populations ranging from K-12 students to refugees to graduate scholars. That lived experience shapes everything about how SNHU thinks about AI: not as a tool for automation, but as a means of expanding access, amplifying human potential, and meeting learners exactly where they are. SNHU is no ordinary university. As one of the largest and most innovative higher education institutions in the United States, it has built its reputation on making education accessible to learners who the traditional system has often left behind: working adults, career changers, veterans, and underserved communities. Rob’s role as VP for AI sits squarely at the intersection of that mission and the most consequential technological shift of our time. Rob and Kathi discuss what it really means to deploy AI with humans at the center, and what that demands of institutions, leaders, and learners alike. The conversation moves through the practical and the philosophical: How do you design AI experiences that honor the dignity and complexity of every individual? What does skills-based, AI-enabled learning look like for someone who has never had access to it before? And what can higher education teach the corporate world about building AI that actually serves people rather than simply processing them? If you’re a CHRO, CIO, learning leader, or business executive wondering how to move beyond pilots and hype, this conversation will show you what responsible, scalable AI adoption really looks like—and how to get started in your own organization. Related resources Podcast: The Rise Of The Supermanager – JOSH BERSIN Research: AI Pacesetters: Six Secrets Of The Superworker Company – JOSH BERSIN New Certificate Course in Galileo Learn: AI in L&D Get Galileo: The AI Superagent for You Chapters (00:00:03) - What Works in the Future of Work(00:00:40) - How Southern New Hampshire University Is Taking a Human Approach to AI(00:02:58) - How to Apply AI at Southern New Hampshire University(00:07:49) - Southern New Hampshire University's 4-Stage AI Adoption Model(00:14:16) - One of the issues around AI governance(00:19:13) - Employee Experience and AI in the People Team(00:21:43) - WSJD Live: The AI Policy(00:23:32) - In the Elevator With Provost Rob Ferguson(00:24:06) - What Works In Education? With Rob McAuslan

This week, as Ronan Farrow’s expose on Sam Altman was published, I want to sensitize you to the fact that AI companies are run by humans. And this means that what we buy and how it works is very dependent on leadership, culture, values, ethics, and the personal motivations of these young, ambitious executives. Obviously this is nothing new, but in this case OpenAI and Anthropic are by far the fastest growing businesses ever created on planet earth. So their ability to steer, direct, and prioritize their investments makes a huge difference in how they meet the needs we have in our companies. I have learned over the years that great, long-lasting tech companies are among the most tumultuous businesses to lead. Not only are the personal economic payoffs huge (I live in a community with lots of Anthropic millionaires) but they are brutally competitive and the cost of a missed opportunity can sometimes be fatal. In this case, I admire all the people in this space but as the AI vendors play larger roles in our lives and careers, we have to think much harder about their leadership and culture. As you’ll hear, many others (analysts, stock market, politicians) are also working on this, and I think we’re likely to see some of the most interesting business “drama” play out in the coming years. As a consumer and buyer of AI, I encourage you to investigate the leadership, culture, and motivations of the vendors you do business with – it really matters. Additional Information New Yorker Expose on Sam Altman Interview with Ronan Farrow, author Irresistible: The Leadership Culture that Works The Value of Values When Organizations Lose Trust Get Galileo: All Our Research and Leadership Academy In AI   Chapters (00:00:00) - The Human Side of Building AI(00:02:40) - Microsoft and the Human Side of AI(00:10:59) - The culture of startups(00:17:57) - NVIDIA and the future of tech

The Microsoft Copilot is even more expansive than you think. In this podcast (and detailed article on Substack) you see how Microsoft’s new Copilot “surface” (ie. product strategy) is likely to give them the lead in revenue and market share for Enterprise AI. There are many players to consider here: Anthropic, OpenAI, Oracle, Nvidia, and vendors like ServiceNow, Okta, and big platforms like Workday (Sana), SAP (Joule), Salesforce, and others. Despite all their various strengths and revenue streams, Microsoft has a huge advantage. And as you’ll hear, the corporate AI market is moving from “models” to “applications” (Surfaces) with an enterprise focus on Agent build, Agent deployment, Agent security, and Agent management. Microsoft is building to this direction and the recent leadership reorganization is fueling this momentum. Read this in-depth analysis of Microsoft vs. Anthropic vs. OpenAI revenue and enterprise AI strategy. Additional Information How Microsoft Could Take The Lead In Enterprise AI (substack) The Context Layer (Semantic Layer) In Enterprise AI And Where Business Rules Go (podcast) Why AI Is A Massive Job-Creation Technology, Despite What You Think The Age of the Superworker (and Supermanager) Get Galileo: The AI Superagent for HR   Chapters (00:00:00) - Why Microsoft Is the Leader in AI(00:02:41) - The Future of AI: No One Model(00:09:52) - Microsoft's Work IQ and the Context Layer(00:21:01) - SANA vs. Microsoft: How Microsoft Will Win

One of the new enterprise AI challenges we face is this: where do we put all the business rules, security rules, policies, and company specific practices we’ve built into our legacy systems for the last 30 years? If we want to embark on Agentic HR (or any other domain), do we rebuild all these rules in the Agents? Well the big idea going forward is the development of a “context layer” or “semantic layer” which stores all the company structure, rules, and policies in a single place. Today ServiceNow introduced its “Context Engine” which plans to do this, and last week Gloat did the same. In this podcast I explain what this is and the implications of various AI architecture options, and compare the idea of building this in ServiceNow or Gloat or using AI Agent tools from Workday, Oracle, SAP, or other incumbent vendors. Additional Information Agentic HR: Where Enterprise AI Is Going – Imperatives  Why AI Is A Massive Job-Creation Technology, Despite What You Think The Age of the Superworker (and Supermanager) Get Galileo: The AI Superagent for HR   Chapters (00:00:00) - What is the Business Rule(00:07:41) - ServiceNow, Business Rules Integration

In this podcast I talk with Josh Secrest, VP of Marketing at Paradox (Workday) about how we segment the “frontline” into useful worker categories. As you will hear, the complex issues of hiring, training, managing, leading, and building operational excellence vary widely from role to role. Many companies think “Frontline” is a category. As you’ll discover, this is not really true. Our new research shows that there are more than 800 “Frontline” worker job titles and they are not only industry-specific but also vary by skill type, skills depth, front or back office, licensing, and professional credential. And these dimensions play a major role in all HR, pay, reward, training, scheduling, and retention strategies. This episode sets the stage for our follow-on podcasts where we detail the Five Types of Frontline Work, a body of research you’ll find even more useful in leading this important part of our companies. Remember, Frontline work makes up over 70% of all US (80% global) workers, and commands more than 3 $Trillion of pay and rewards investment. Additional Information Powering the Frontline Workforce: How Frontline-First Companies Thrive (research) Josh Bersin Company Highlights Cost of Neglecting Frontline Workers (research) An Exploration into the Frontline Workforce with Josh Bersin (video) Tailor your HR and Management Programs for Frontline Work with Galileo, the Expert AI Agent for HR Chapters (00:00:02) - Frontline Conversation(00:07:40) - The Importance of Qualifications in Your Sales Pitch(00:09:12) - Employment Segmentation(00:10:24) - Training costs of the logistics industry(00:14:01) - How to Find and Retain Talent in Healthcare(00:14:41) - One Restaurant Group's Shift From Part-Time Work to Full Time(00:17:13) - Discussing Full-Time vs Part-Time Jobs(00:18:14) - Josh Ferson(00:19:51) - The Future of Segmentation in Business

As AI expands its role all over our companies, a big question comes up: What will AI Agents do to HR and all our human capital practices? One could imagine the HR department “going away” or being replaced by agents, and managers interacting with this AI Agent Cloud for hiring, pay, promotion, hourly scheduling, and training. Is that where we’re really going? This week we’re starting to introduce our HR 2030 Vision, which brings together the world of Systemic HR (HR as an integrated operation, not only COEs) and our AI Superagent/Agent architecture. Vendors are slowly moving in this direction and we see HR leaders and operating groups also moving this way at various rates of speed. Many tech companies are moving in this direction quickly (Microsoft, Roblox, Google, others) while most other industries are still struggling to integrate systems and start their Agent journeys. This new vision, as bold as it seems, is very likely to come true in the next four years and it transforms HR into the business enablement function it always aspires to be. We see HR 2030 as a collective program of innovation, learning, and technology exploration. If you’d like to join us in this effort please reach out, and use Galileo to ask your questions and help build your roadmap. Every HR leader and HR team in the world is pondering this future, and we are here to guide you down this amazing path ahead. Topics: HR2030, Agentic HR, Agentic AI, Future of Work, Digital Twin, HR Transformation, HR jobs and roles, HR operation, HR leadership Additional Background Agentic HR: Where Enterprise AI Is Going – Imperatives  Why AI Is A Massive Job-Creation Technology, Despite What You Think The Age of the Superworker (and Supermanager) Get Galileo: The AI Superagent for HR   Chapters (00:00:00) - HR 2030: The AI revolution(00:06:13) - Human Capital Management: Rules and Cultural Rubrics(00:17:59) - WSJD. HR 2030: The challenge

What does it look like when one of the world’s most innovative tech companies decides to write the playbook for agentic HR — from the inside? Brandon Roberts, Global VP of People Product, Analytics and AI at ServiceNow, joins Kathi Enderes for a conversation that crackles with real-world urgency and hard-won insight. Under the bold leadership of CHRO Jacqui Canney – whose title as Chief People and AI Transformation Officer signals just how seriously ServiceNow is taking this moment – Brandon and his team have made a defining bet: empower every HR professional to experiment with AI, then ruthlessly prioritize based on value and feasibility. The results are already turning heads. When an HR Business Partner came forward with an idea, it didn’t disappear into a committee. It became a live capability: HRBPs now work alongside a people data agent paired with Galileo, giving them real-time internal workforce data fused with external benchmarks, case studies, and research insights,  all available in the moment a business conversation demands an answer.  This is what it means to bring consulting-grade intelligence into the flow of work. But Brandon’s story doesn’t stop inside HR. ServiceNow is also asking its HR team to do something far bigger: help lead the entire company’s AI transformation. That means building workforce AI capabilities and readiness at scale, redesigning jobs and work across the firm as AI reshapes what every role requires and writing the organizational playbook for AI adoption that others can follow.  It is a mandate that puts HR squarely at the center of enterprise strategy, moving from support function to transformation driver. Brandon’s own career arc captures this shift. His role evolved from a focus on people analytics – historically centered on reporting and data analysis – into enabling the business to use insights about people and organizations to make better decisions and drive better outcomes, all powered by AI.  The people analytics function didn’t shrink but grew in strategic weight and importance. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone trying to understand what agentic HR actually looks like in practice at one of the fastest-moving companies on the planet. Additional Information Podcast: Jacqui Canney, ServiceNow CHRO, Demystifies AI Transformation Article: The Great Reinvention of Human Resources Has Begun Research: The Superworker Organization: AI Goes Enterprise Get Galileo: The World’s AI Superagent for HR Chapters (00:00:03) - What Works: Systems Thinking(00:00:41) - ServiceNow CEO on the Company's Transformation of HR Using AI(00:02:19) - WSJD Live: ServiceNow's AI-Powered HR Function(00:05:41) - Six Pillars of the AI Revolution at ServiceNow(00:08:48) - How Galileo is helping HR professionals be more strategic(00:11:14) - How ServiceNow Is Bringing AI to HR(00:14:44) - What specific skills do you need in your role around AI(00:15:51) - WSJD: The HR Organization of the Future(00:20:28) - WSJDLive: The AI and HR Transformation(00:22:44) - WSJD Live: AI and HR Transformation(00:24:24) - What Works in HR: Brandon Roberts & ServiceNow's Galileo

Today, as we read more stories about various layoffs (often using AI as an explanation), I’d like to suggest a big idea. AI Agents, defined as “Talent Redeployment Agents,” may be one of the most powerful new use-cases for AI in HR. No I’m not talking about AI randomly selecting people and zapping them by email based on financial results (that could happen I suppose), but something much bigger. Listen in as I explain how the “decoupling” of workers from their employers has led to a new era of dynamic employee redeployment, which is only possible with AI. We’re deep into studying these Superagent use-cases in companies around the world so if this conversation gets you excited (I think it will), please get hold of us we’d like to explain more. Additional Information Should an AI Agent Be Able To Fire You? Yes, And It’s Likely To Go Well. Gloat Enters The Crowded War For AI Agents in HR Why AI Is A Massive Job-Creation Technology, Despite What You Think Be Careful With The Layoffs Get Galileo, the AI Superagent for HR Chapters (00:00:00) - The Way Companies Are Layoff(00:09:18) - The AI Talent Mobility Agent

Today I want to give you a peek into the huge topic of “building AI literacy.” We work with hundreds of companies and vendors that offer many types of training so I wanted to give you an overview. This is a fast-changing topic because there’s a raging debate about what “skills” AI users need (ie. complex thinking? business acumen?). I do know AI learns from language so if you can’t put your needs or wishes into logical statements, you won’t get the most out of AI. But, as I explain, there are a range of other issues as well. I also discuss how we teach people about bias, risk, auditability, data quality, tuning, and how “vibe coding” is a bit more complex than you think. If you’re really stumped about how to use AI in your work, I urge you to get Galileo, our AI Agent specifically designed for HR, business leaders, and human capital consultants. It includes 400+ reusable workflows to get you started and an entire library of 700+ courses on various AI and HR topics. We have received a spectacular group of AI Pacesetter applications and many explain how a particular company built AI literacy in detail. Come to Irresistible 2026 (June 8-10 in LA) to get the details. (Check out the US Department of Labor’s AI-Ready Initiative too.) Chapters (00:00:00) - Advocacy of AI literacy(00:01:26) - Six Rules of AI Training(00:08:53) - Pacesetter: Trust, Security, and Legal Risk

This week I share my conversation with Ashutosh Garg, founder of pioneering unicorn Eightfold. Eightfold was the first mainstream AI company focused on HR and recruiting, and as you’ll hear Ashu continues to innovate in many ways. I ask Ashutosh to talk about the market, the change in the AI landscape, and his vision for the future of Eightfold and job seeking. He also explains his career and how he became so successful, and where his career has taken him with his digital twin company Viven.ai. (We use Viven and can attest to its enormous potential.) This convo should teach you a lot about the AI market and also give you career insights into one of the many entrepreneurs shaping our future. We have worked closely with Eightfold for many years and I find Ashutosh’s career inspiring and filled with lessons for all of us. Additional Information Eightfold Reaches Billion Dollar Valuation (2020) The Eleven 2026 Imperatives for Enterprise AI Why AI Is A Massive Job-Creation Technology, Despite What You Think Get Galileo, the AI Superagent for HR, Consultants, and Leaders Chapters (00:00:00) - Interviewing Ashutosh Garg on AI(00:00:35) - In the Elevator With Eightfold(00:08:17) - Is AI Involving the Interviewing Process Possible?(00:14:20) - Does AI Bias Affect Job Interviews?(00:16:37) - What should high-tech and research people know about entrepreneurship and business(00:18:11) - What is the Digital Twin?(00:22:24) - A Week in the Life of AI

Four big topics in this podcast. First I give you more detail on jobs and careers in the AI age, and explain why MORE jobs than ever are being created. (Read the details here.) Then I discuss the huge disruption about to take place in the software integration and middleware market. (A multi-billion dollar space for vendors and consulting firms.) Third I discuss the pioneering work by Findem and how human data labeling (and automated labeling) is the next frontier in search, recruiting, and talent intelligence. Finally I talk about my sincere and humble “thank you” to all of you that follow us and how we built Galileo to scale our work. (Join us at Irresistible 2026 to see the top 15 AI Pacesetters in HR.) Additional Information Why AI Is A Massive Job Creation Technology Workday and Sana Unveil A Bold New Strategy For AI Agents, Superagents, and Intelligent Orchestration: 2026 Imperatives for Enterprise AI The L&D Revolution Has Arrived: AI Enables Dynamic Enablement For All Get Galileo, the AI Superagent for HR   Chapters (00:00:00) - Jobs and the job market(00:02:48) - Will the Self-Driving Car Change Your Career?(00:04:25) - The Future of Interconnections in HR Software(00:08:22) - How AI is Affecting Recruitment(00:17:46) - A message for the AI Technology community

Today I move beyond a discussion of AI products and technologies to the real business problem: finding ways to USE AI to further your company’s particular, unique business strategy. There’s a strange phenomenon going on: companies think AI itself will improve productivity “just because it exists.” Well nothing could be further from the truth. As these three examples point out, you should focus on “HOW” you’re going to use AI to forward the strategy, not build a strategy around AI. As these tools become more common this will be clearer and clearer. And the AI vendors (particularly the big ones) are making us crazy with stories of AI “strategies” that feel generic and unachievable. I hope this helps you feel grounded and ready to focus in this crazy world of new tools, platforms, and vendors. I also want to invite you to the Transform conference in Vegas where we’ll be talking about a new partnership we’re starting with Leena.ai, a vendor that delivers a new generation of employee services by connecting tools like Galileo to more than 100 different applications and internal systems. Additional Information What Is AI Orchestration And Why Is It So Important? Workday and Sana Unveil A Bold New Strategy For AI Agents and Superagents: 2026 Imperatives for Enterprise AI The L&D Revolution Has Arrived: AI Enables Dynamic Enablement For All Get Galileo, the AI Superagent for HR (experience Sana for yourself) Chapters (00:00:00) - Employee AI: Business Cases(00:01:22) - The Skills Taxonomy for Large Services Companies(00:07:02) - Six steps towards an AI-driven bank(00:10:23) - The 3 challenges of L&D training

Today we are introducing the Mars release of Galileo®, the AI Superagent for HR. We’re calling it a Superagent because it’s now fully programmable, open to integration with Workday and other systems, and is even more intelligent with new models, new content, industry data, and exciting features for learning, content development, and orchestration. I explain what all this means in the podcast, so listen in. Galileo is now used by more than 1,100 companies so it’s becoming the industry standard AI agent for HR, with lots of fans, new solutions, and features. And as a Superagent, Galileo can now coordinate user’s needs across many back-end systems, through Sana’s integration with Workday as well as Galileo for ServiceNow, which talks with 60+ corporate apps. The Galileo Suite includes Galileo Agent and Galileo Learn, and includes Galileo for Managers. Read about it in our press release here. Exciting launch video here. Get Galileo here!. Additional Information Workday and Sana Unveil A Bold New Strategy For AI Agents, Superagents, and Intelligent Orchestration: 2026 Imperatives for Enterprise AI The L&D Revolution Has Arrived: AI Enables Dynamic Enablement For All Get Ready For A Wild Time In HR Technology (where HR Tech is going)   Chapters (00:00:00) - NASA's Galileo Release 4.7(00:06:10) - ServiceNow: Connecting with Galileo and Workday(00:10:00) - The next area of AI HR: Agents and Super Agents

Today Workday unveiled its “Front Door to Work” strategy and products with Sana. Here is a brief overview and more to read below. Additional Information Workday and Sana Unveil A Bold Strategy for AI (detailed article) Video Overview of Workday-Sana Announcements The New, Wild, Redefined World of HR Tech (advanced AI use-cases) Experience Sana Yourself: Galileo, the AI Agent for HR       Chapters (00:00:02) - SANA Announcement with Workday(00:04:12) - Workday Adding SANA to its Productivity Platform

HR Technology is on a collision course with AI companies, desktop productivity tools, and middleware providers. Where is all this going? In this podcast I explain why this is a question of “back-end” vs. “front-end” and how the ERP software architectures of the past (present) are colliding with the AI tools and interfaces of the future. The bottom line is not “who wins” but rather how well do you think through the use-cases and employee experiences you want to provide? Read this article for more details and stay tuned for a bunch of announcements this week that will bring much of this to your company. Additional Information Get Ready For A Wild Time In HR Technology The World of Corporate Training Lurches Toward Enablement Digital Twins Are Here, And They Make You More Productive Get Galileo. We put ALL our research, case studies, and models in there. It’s like the Bloomberg Terminal, Encyclopedia Britannica, and HR Expert with new research, vendors, and case studies every day.         Chapters (00:00:00) - HR Technology: The Future of IT(00:11:00) - The Future of HR IT Is AI