For many, artificial intelligence’s growing presence in the workforce is a worrying trend. However, at least one expert knows that with the right framework, AI can be a huge strength.

“We are still very much in the experimentation phase,” Allison Salisbury said. “I don’t think we are yet at a phase where we have a robust body of best practices.” Instead, for workers and employers, “The goal is actually to be a scientist and [experiment] and figure out what’s working.” And that means an entire frontier of possibilities is open to those willing to explore. 

Salisbury would know. She is a cofounder and the CEO of Humanist Venture Studio, which uses AI solutions to build more mission-driven and productive workplaces. Her work has taught her how to harness AI to elevate and empower workers — not replace them. 

As AI’s capabilities continue to expand, many workplaces are considering the jobs AI can do for us — but what if AI could help workers reach their fullest potential? Salisbury believes that the more employers and employees become AI literate, the more they can create a better workforce that’s more productive, innovative, and profitable. 

Salisbury proposed several foundational steps for employees and employers to best prepare for and implement AI in their roles. From experimenting with AI in low-stakes environments to evaluating its impact on hiring, these frameworks can help build a stronger workforce across industries.

No matter how you plan to dive into AI’s possibilities, Salisbury advised: Always consider human purpose and talent first. 

“[Employees] will continue to want the things they’ve always wanted,” she said. “They want good pay. They want purpose and meaning in their work. And they want pathways to more purpose, more meaning, and more opportunity. These desires will continue in the age of AI among your human workforce.”

For employees: Start to think outside the confines of your current industry

Salisbury noted that front-line and entry-level workers are the most likely to have their roles replaced by AI. However, with the right actions, this can become an opportunity to discover individual talents and transition into more fulfilling roles.

“In a world where your work is going to be disrupted multiple times and when you’re let go from your job or your job is automated, it’s not just about going and finding the same job somewhere else,” she said. “If it’s being automated, that job is likely not going to exist somewhere else. It’s actually about finding a new job.” 

To do this, Salisbury advised workers to consider what durable skills they have — that is, skills that allow them to be successful across many different roles and learn quickly in new settings. These can include flexible, widely applicable talents like self-management, idea generation, and communication, which will always be in demand in roles like management. 

This often involves intentionally considering your interests and aptitudes rather than just your current skill set. 

Once a worker has identified their unique interests, gifts, and goals, it is crucial to build connections that can offer guidance for those pathways. As Salisbury explained, “Seeking opportunities to be exposed — being like, ‘Hey, you have a job I might be interested in doing in the future. Can I talk with you for 15 minutes about it?’” According to Climb Hire, 85% of open job roles are filled through networking. 

Building networks can be crucial for workers whose roles become automated. It enables them to leverage the transition and thoughtfully pivot toward more fulfilling positions.

For employers: Create opportunities for entry-level workers to gain new skills

Preparing for the automation of front-line roles isn’t solely the responsibility of the affected workers. Employers can also create opportunities for their advancement.

Instead of eliminating employees whose roles could be replaced by AI, employers can help them acquire the skills needed to transition into more ambitious positions. This approach benefits the individuals and helps retain talent with valuable institutional knowledge of the company’s goals and mission.

For instance, when CVS faced high turnover in front-line roles, the management team partnered with Escalate, an organization that aligns company needs with employees’ interests and aptitudes. Escalate provided targeted training, enabling front-line workers to advance to higher-level positions. This approach allowed CVS to retain employees familiar with the company culture, fill talent gaps, and create more fulfilling roles for its workforce.

“As AI takes more routine, rote jobs away from humans, those are especially going to be more entry-level jobs,” Salisbury said. “How do you then upskill the people who are holding those jobs, leveraging more sophisticated skills? [This] creates more ownership, more accountability, and is connected to more purposeful work.” 

Doing so can flip the script, Salisbury explained, ensuring that entry-level workers “don’t have to be seen as victims that are getting automated out of a job.”

For employees: Explore playful and proactive ways to experiment with AI

Employers need to stop being afraid of AI in the workplace. Courage with new tech is key. 

“A lot of people have impostor syndrome around AI and think it’s really scary,” Salisbury said. “They think, ‘I’m not a technologist. I don’t know how to use these tools. I’m going to wait until my employer gives me very explicit directions.’ What I’d invite people to do is to say, ‘No one really knows what’s going to happen here.’” 

Salisbury encouraged a spirit of “playful experimentation,” in which individuals can think creatively about using AI in daily tasks — anything from planning a dinner around dietary restrictions to designing an itinerary for a visiting relative or simply chatting with an AI interface to explore its capabilities. Salisbury recommended ChatGPT, NotebookLM, Google Learn About, Notion, and Snippet as accessible platforms for first-time users.

“The more you can just be playful with it and find opportunities even outside of work to incorporate it into your life, the more comfortable you’ll become interacting with these increasingly powerful tools,” she said.

For employers: Plan to look for fresh talent in new places

AI can help employers think differently about talent.

“Employers are going to have experience gaps with people graduating from bachelor’s degree programs, boot camps, whatever it might be,” Salisbury said. “But if you need someone who actually has five or eight years experience managing a system of work, where does someone get that if the whole industry has eroded the first one, two, or even three rungs of the career ladder?” 

Salisbury encouraged employers to engage in strategic thinking and programmatic experimentation, particularly the possibility of implementing apprenticeship programs in their company. For instance, Propel offers apprenticeship opportunities to early-career health care workers at local hospitals, training them in the specific skills and missions of institutions where they are often later hired into mid-level roles. Salisbury noted that the health care industry is a valuable model for other industries to follow.

“You can’t have someone who’s never drawn blood before go and draw blood on a patient,” she said. “Apprenticeships allow you to learn the skills, gain the experience, and work while learning. It’s a good model for inspiration.”

For employers and employees: Communicate openly and often 

As Salisbury pointed out, once AI becomes a regular part of the workplace, there aren’t established standard practices to follow. It’s up to both workers and employers to experiment and maintain a proactive, continuous feedback loop to ensure that AI is truly enhancing productivity and profits.

For workplace leaders, “It’s really important to think about how they can get very meaningful feedback from their more front-line workers about what’s working and what’s not,” Salisbury said. 

Whether through regular check-ins or offering employees the chance to schedule conversations spontaneously, the goal is to foster an environment where “employees feel like culturally they have a voice in sharing what’s working and what’s not,” she continued. “The whole point of an experimentation phase is to learn and then to improve, and that data should not just come from the AI application, especially in a world where you still have humans in the loop in a meaningful way.” 

For their part, workers should engage in regular, intentional reflection, asking themselves questions like, “How is this making my job easier? How is it making my job harder? How could it perform even better to deliver on the outcomes that we’re looking to impact?” Salisbury said. 

After doing so, they should make sure to approach their employers and voice their perspectives. If both sides are willing to be open and work together, the possibilities are promising. 

“Playful experimentation is where everybody in the world is right now,” Salisbury said. “A lot of individuals think others have it so figured out, and they just have to wait, but playful experimentation, anybody can do that right now.” 

For those who do, there is an endless stream of potential in every American worker. 

The Stand Together community partners with changemakers who are tackling the root causes of America’s biggest problems. 

Learn more about Stand Together’s efforts to transform the future of work and explore ways you can partner with us.