In an age of breakneck transformations, organizational agility has never been more critical. Last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos—centered on the theme of Collaboration for an Intelligent Age—and in Washington, D.C., where the inauguration of the new U.S. president brought a flurry of announcements with wide-ranging and immediate implications, leaders from business and government outlined fast-approaching future states.  

These influential back-to-back events made obvious that organizations must be ready to pivot at a moment’s notice. Their success at doing so will hinge on HR’s agility. 

Calling Out the “People” Pillar at Davos 

Amid Davos’s five strategic pillars—rebuilding trust, reimagining growth, safeguarding the planet, adapting industries, and investing in people—the topic of people stood out to us at Cascade AI as arguably the most critical. In fact, there were more sessions dedicated to “investing in people” than to safeguarding the planet or industry. No matter how advanced our technology becomes, it’s ultimately human talent, collaboration, and ingenuity that enable every other goal. 

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar underscored that AI is “top of the agenda” and that many Davos attendees are heralding the emergence of AI-driven “agents” in areas like customer relationship management. Accenture Chair and CEO Julie Sweet and AWS CEO Matt Garman explored what is needed to go beyond AI’s promise of revolutionizing industries and to tap into the technology’s potential.

Semafor’s Reed Albergotti called for even more AI attention from the global business elite, penning a commentary titled “Why Davos isn’t panicked enough about AI.” In addition to laying out huge potential implications like the possible need to rethink  “the entire US energy grid,” he, too, called attention to labor implications, suggesting it’s the middle class of developed countries “whose labor markets will be most dramatically changed by AI.” 

Anand Swaminathan of McKinsey called out that better collaboration is needed to realize the potential of this new age. “This year, we need to find better ways to work with each other—whether in business or society,” he said. “Even a small step in that direction could have a multiplier effect moving forward.” His point reinforces the idea that people are the linchpin in any major global initiative, whether it’s driving sustainability, reshaping growth models, or harnessing AI’s promise. Ultimately, while technology may break barriers, it’s the investment in human capabilities that ensures we can seize those opportunities and bring them to life. 

New Administration, New Momentum 

The new U.S. administration has thrown its weight behind AI with “Stargate,” a $500 billion project backed by OpenAI, Oracle, SoftBank, Microsoft, and Nvidia. According to The Atlantic, Stargate aims to build expansive data centers and power infrastructure across the country to nurture next-generation AI models. This political and economic backing signals that AI is more than a buzzword; it’s a strategic imperative.  

Meanwhile, business leaders remain keenly aware of the uncertainty of new U.S. leadership. “The last 24 hours are showing that there’s going to be a lot of changes that we all have to digest,” said Mary Callahan Erdoes, head of asset and wealth management at JPMorgan Chase, during a Davos panel. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo echoed the sentiment: “The world is full of uncertainty—after yesterday even more, and maybe tomorrow there might be even more uncertainty.”  

Finding Focus Amid Rapid Change 

HR teams can drive through these rapid shifts, even amid uncertainty, by finding focus and committing to one transformative step: integrating AI into their own function. By embracing AI-driven solutions, HR can offload repetitive, administrative tasks—such as routine employee inquiries and large-scale policy rollouts—while devoting more time to strategic initiatives that tackle the massive shifts reshaping the global workforce. Below are four key areas where AI can provide immediate impact:  

1. The Race to Reskill: AI and robotics are poised to transform countless roles. HR teams can deploy AI to help managers identify skills gaps, recommend personalized learning pathways, and track progress, ensuring employees remain relevant and engaged. 
2. Global Talent Management: As companies reorganize or expand—whether due to initiatives like Stargate, shifting work locations due to climate, cost-saving or recruiting needs, or the incorporation of AI “employees” and advanced robotics—AI itself can streamline onboarding, offboarding, and compliance across multiple geographies, making organizations nimbler in uncertain environments. 
3. Automated Policy Updates in Turbulent Times: AI-enabled HR platforms can instantly update policies and inform the workforce, ensuring compliance and consistency. 
4. Strategic Partnership, Not Administrative Burden: When mundane tasks are handled by AI chatbots, HR is free to focus on collaboration with other leaders—developing holistic strategies to rebuild trust, invest in people, and nurture organizational growth. 

A Quick Example from Davos 

The need for fast pivots is apparent even in everyday scenarios. The Grandhotel Belvédère in Davos—founded in 1875 and now managed by Berlin hotelier HR Group—had to more than double its usual staffing to accommodate the surge of WEF attendees, per Semafor. Imagine that on a larger scale in a global enterprise. AI in HR can simplify the ramp-up or ramp-down of staff in real time, capturing efficiencies that manual processes simply can’t match. 

Conclusion 

Davos 2025 continued its promise of highlighting grand ideas but also drove home the reality that large-scale collaboration and readiness require rethinking how we manage workforces. The new administration’s quick policy moves and the private sector’s massive AI investments underscore the necessity of agility.  

Saadia Zahidi, managing director of World Economic Forum, summed it up at a Davos session: “Without a focus on human capital investments, without a focus on skills, education and jobs, a lot of the other challenges that we’ve been discussing here at the meeting are not quite possible to address. And without a focus on that kind of investment and people, it’s also not quite possible to reach many of the opportunities, many of the discoveries and research and innovation that’s also being discussed here.” 

 By honing in on a single transformative step—adopting AI in HR—organizations can free themselves to tackle these big-picture challenges. In a world saturated with uncertainty, that singular focus may be the best insurance for staying ahead.