“AI is the change we’re facing, but AI is also the solution.”
That’s how Max Wessel, Co-CEO of Degreed, characterized today’s ever-changing—and exhilarating—business climate while speaking at Degreed LENS 2025.
So much has changed in the last two years. While the rise of AI isn’t the first technology to revolutionize business, nor will it be the last, the undeniably fast pace of change we’re witnessing does exemplify something new.
Three major points kept coming up at LENS:
- AI is here to stay, and it should replace tasks, not people.
- Leaders must adapt and rise to the challenge by providing clarity and guidance.
- Personalized learning at scale is easier to achieve than ever.
The Advantage of Learning AI
AI is here to stay, and it should replace tasks, not people.
In the same ways they embraced computers and smartphones, innovative business leaders looking to stay competitive are evolving to embrace AI. And just like those previous tech advancements, applying AI to workforce development can be a huge advantage.
“We are rewriting our jobs right now,” said Nikki Helmer, Chief Product Officer at Degreed. “We are rewriting what it means to work in an AI-first world.”
Nikki Helmer, Chief Product Officer at Degreed
Your workforce needs to know how to use AI, and effective workforce learning can help ensure all your people are equipped to use AI to support day-to-day tasks.
“AI impacts the entire organization. It’s not just one functional area of the business,” said Lisa Tenorio, SVP Product and Innovation at Harvard Business Publishing. “Everyone at every level of the company needs some fluency with AI, and they need to be continuously learning to keep pace with the rapid evolution of the technology. So that means both learners and learning programs need to adapt and keep pace.”
Lisa Tenorio, SVP Product and Innovation at Harvard Business Publishing
From an HR standpoint, though, it’s key that this transition to AI isn’t meant to replace humans, but to instead make them more effective at their jobs.
“Where are there opportunities where technologies like AI can actually make humans more efficient, more productive in the execution of tasks?” asked Melissa Matlins, Global Head of Workforce Solutions at Pearson. “This time that you save can then be applied to durable skills development like communication or collaboration that are always going to be really, really critical across functions.”
Leading for AI Learning
Leaders must adapt and rise to the challenge by providing clarity and guidance.
Our upcoming How the Workforce Learns Generative AI 2025 report shows that a lack of guidance is one of the biggest things blocking people from developing skills and confidence in AI. This means that business leaders must give employees more clarity on how to use and experiment with AI.
“We need to hear more about AI as something that changes where leadership is going, that raises the bar for what it will mean to lead, and less about this magical alien technology,” said Cassie Kozyrkov, CEO at Kozyr and former first Chief Decision Scientist at Google.
Cassie Kozyrkov, CEO at Kozyr and former first Chief Decision Scientist at Google
The world that AI is creating is an uncharted territory, and some leaders will struggle to make sense of it, let alone bring their people along. But it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Vidya Krishnan, CLO at Ericsson, reminded attendees that “leadership needs to be good at three things—creating clarity, developing people, delivering results.” That applies in any world—whether we’re talking about skills, AI, or tomorrow’s to-be-determined business challenge.
Indeed, with the right guidance, upskilling in AI can be easy for everyone, said Siya Raj Purohit, Education Go-To-Market Leader at OpenAI. “Just get everyone to start experimenting with AI. I don’t think everyone needs to be an AI expert. The sector is moving so quickly. So many new things are coming out. Don’t force them to understand all of those trends, because it’s not really relevant to their day-to-day. What matters is their ability to ask the right questions, provide the right information to AI, to get the output that they want. And everyone should be able to do that.”
Personalized Learning at Scale with AI
Personalized learning at scale is easier to achieve than ever.
With AI comes the ability to personalize learning at a scale that humanity has never seen before. AI is the challenge and the solution.
“I think personalized tutoring was always the holy grail for the education sector. Like if we accomplish this, we’ve made it as an industry. And now we have,” Raj Purohit said.
Better yet, your workforce wants personalization. No one wants to waste time on irrelevant development, especially in a world where they’re already surrounded by other things curated just for them.
“Hyper-personalization is a key thing,” said Ali Bebo, CHRO at Pearson. “People want to be known and seen.”
A New Era of Degreed Innovation
Degreed is enabling workforce transformation with new product functionality.
To help your business address the need for better AI learning, leadership, and personalization, we’ve announced several new product features:
- Degreed Maestro Studio: Experiment with a powerful tool that helps you easily create and deploy custom AI-native learning experiences like coaches or simulations.
- Degreed Open Library (no additional cost): Access 500 pre-made, deeply curated pathways on the most in-demand learning topics to reduce reliance on expensive third-party content with training resources that are automatically kept up to date.
- Degreed Maestro Services: Leverage a suite of services to maximize AI’s impact while reducing your costs.
- Degreed partnerships with Pearson and American Council on Education (ACE): Get market intelligence data and validate learning academies so completions earn formal credit.
These product and partnership announcements mark the beginning of a new era of innovation—an era in which personalized learning and measuring skills at scale drive the positive business impacts your people and your company need in order to win.
Find out more.
Get a clear picture of what’s coming from Degreed. Check out our seven-part Degreed in Action webinar series and choose your sessions to find out more about our innovations in AI, skills reporting, automations, Degreed Professional Services, Degreed Academies, and more.
