AI & Future of work - 6 June 2025
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OpenAI turns ChatGPT Business into a first-class workplace app
Launched June 5, the new connectors let admins plug ChatGPT straight into HRIS, ATS, drive repos and email while “Record Mode” auto-captures, transcribes and summarises meetings or voice notes for later audit. Flexible seat credits aim to remove licence caps for heavy users.
Why it matters for HR: Seamless data pipes mean recruiters can query requisitions, pay data or candidate files by chat, and employee-service teams get instant knowledge-base answers. Record Mode also builds an evidence trail that privacy and works-council colleagues will appreciate, so People Ops can champion adoption while still passing compliance checks.
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Workday launches Agent Partner Network and Agent Gateway
Announced at DevCon, the programme lets Accenture, AWS, Microsoft and others certify agents that plug into Workday’s Agent System of Record, while Gateway gives customers a single console to orchestrate them.
Why it matters for HR: Instead of waiting for Workday to ship every micro-feature, HRIT can now mix-and-match best-of-breed skills inference, pay-equity coaching and scheduling bots, without exporting data out of Workday’s security model. That keeps innovation cycles fast and the auditors calm.
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TIME Magazine: What Happens When AI Replaces Workers?
The essay argues that AGI could displace up to half of white-collar entry roles within five years and warns that universal basic income alone will not give citizens influence in an AI-driven economy. The author proposes “democratised AI ownership” so individuals can train private models and retain bargaining power.
Why it matters for HR: The piece reframes employee relations: fairness will increasingly hinge on who controls the models behind the work. HR will need policies on employee-owned agents, clarity on IP created with personal models and pathways for talent to upskill into AI governance and oversight roles rather than just operating the systems.
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EU Commission signals enforcement pause – but clarifies “high-risk” HR uses
Guidance published June 4 hints the Commission may delay full AI Act application while confirming that hiring, promotion and performance scoring tools remain “high-risk” and subject to strict obligations.
Why it matters for HR: This buys a little implementation time, yet the risk classification is locked in. CHROs should inventory every algorithm touching people decisions, gather vendor assurance docs and budget for conformity assessments before the grace period closes.
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Gemini can now summarise any video stored in Google Drive
Rolling out since May 30, Workspace and One AI Premium users can ask Gemini to pull highlights, action items and Q&A from long town-hall or training recordings.
Why it matters for HR: L&D teams can auto-generate recap mails and captions, improving accessibility, while managers finally get digestible takeaways from those two-hour all-hands.
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Josh Bersin declares “the L&D revolution is here”
In a June 1 brief, Bersin highlights Docebo’s shift to an AI-native architecture and Sana’s auto-generated learning paths, predicting that content authoring and skills mapping will soon be mostly machine-led.
Why it matters for HR: Budget will tilt from off-the-shelf courses to dynamic content engines. Upskill your L&D team in prompt design, data tagging and learning analytics to stay ahead.
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Ethan Mollick: How to Build an AI-First Organisation
In a 60-minute YouTube talk (!) Mollick argues that the worst mistake companies make with AI is thinking too small. Instead of chasing head-count cuts he urges leaders to redesign work so every employee gets a personal “AI sidekick” and so teams continuously pilot new agent workflows. He also stresses that culture beats code; without psychological safety staff will not experiment or report model failures.
Why it matters for HR: Mollick speaks to the real transformation task for HR: job architecture, capability building and change management. If AI sidekicks become the norm then role descriptions, performance criteria and learning paths must all shift toward “machine-team” collaboration skills. HR can champion safe-to-try cultures and create rotation programs that let employees practise with agents before business-critical launch.
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Business Insider: CEOs Privately Admit AI Will Shrink Teams
On 31 May two software investors told the “Twenty Minute VC” podcast that many CEOs expect 30-40 percent role reductions from AI but avoid saying so publicly to prevent backlash. They predict the layoffs will emerge within two years as efficiency targets crystallise.
Why it matters for HR: Transparency is becoming a strategic asset. If employees sense hidden agendas trust erodes and change efforts stall. HR can lead by publishing clear AI workforce impact assessments, co-designing re-skilling commitments with employee reps and establishing “AI transition councils” to keep dialogue open as automation ramps up.
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