Good morning!
Fortune launched its Fortune @ Work: A.I. Playbook today, the third installment in our quarterly series, featuring case studies, data, and insights from Fortune 500 people leaders. This quarter, we joined the generative A.I. fervor, analyzing how employers are using the technology to transform the HR practice and the broader workplace.
While many leaders are eager to implement new A.I. tools to boost productivity, enhance engagement, and allow workers to focus on more human-centric tasks, they are still understandably wary. Some concerns include data privacy, security, financial costs, legislative pushback, and bias.
Among the featured stories in this quarter’s package:
- Paige McGlauflin explores the potentially costly risks of A.I. in talent strategy while offering leaders a roadmap to responsible adoption.
- Trey Williams speaks to IBM, once at the forefront of A.I., which has seen the technology erase thousands of wasted hours on manual tasks. Its CEO noted in a recent Fortune op-ed that A.I. use had cut the number of IBM HR professionals performing manual work from 700 to fewer than 50.
- Genpact‘s CHRO shares how he’s using A.I. to evaluate employee sentiment and flag discontent before an employee leaves—or quiet quits.
- Nine HR leaders from Salesforce to Coca-Cola discuss plans to reskill employees in A.I. and attract new talent in a highly competitive market.
- Senior partners at McKinsey outline the challenges of A.I. training, arguing that even seasoned tech professionals will need upskilling to fully harness the power of A.I.
Read the full Fortune @ Work Playbook here.
Amber Burton
amber.burton@fortune.com
@amberbburton
Reporter's Notebook
The most compelling data, quotes, and insights from the field.
At a Fortune CEO roundtable on return-to-office policies, execs pointed to a new trend: Some employees resent those who don’t come to the office, not just the bosses who forced them to return.
“There is quite a bit of tension in having different rules for different people,” says Eli Lilly chair and CEO David Ricks. “People start seeing each other not based on output, but based on when they are there.”
Around the Table
A round-up of the most important HR headlines, studies, podcasts, and long-reads.
- About 150 unionized Starbucks locations went on strike over the company’s policy limiting Pride decorations. CNN
- Job listings mentioning relocation packages were up 75%, according to jobs website Indeed.com. Wall Street Journal
- Recent investigations into child labor law violations at McDonald’s franchises were a request from shareholders who feared they would pose legal risks. Washington Post
- The legal framework for abolishing affirmative action in college admissions wouldn’t apply to private companies. So, some corporate DEI programs are safe—for now. Quartz
- Employers are ramping up onsite childcare benefits to help offset the more than $10,000 families spend annually on the service. EdSurge
Watercooler
Everything you need to know from Fortune.
RTO accountability. Citigroup asked managers to reprimand employees who don't adhere to its requirement to be in the office at least three days a week. —Bloomberg
VC pay equity. The insular nature of the venture capital industry makes pay transparency especially important. —Anne Sraders
Rebuilding community. Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky calls this period “the loneliest time in human history” due to a lack of community. A solution, he argues, is turning empty office buildings into apartments. —Steve Mollman
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