The age of AI is arriving as a succession of waves. Each breakthrough brings more capable models, new applications, and different ways of integrating technology into everyday work. Each also brings new predictions about what AI will mean for jobs and society.
Some developments will fundamentally reshape industries. Others may recede without producing the impact initially predicted. We do not yet know exactly where the waterline will settle, but the effects are already rippling through almost every form of work.
Technological change has always created, transformed, and displaced occupations. It has altered the tasks people perform, the expertise employers value, and the areas in which human contribution makes the greatest difference. AI is the latest wave and arguably the most significant of our lifetimes.
The World Economic Forum estimates that 39% of workers’ existing skills will change or become outdated by 2030. The question is not simply which jobs AI will create or replace, but which human capabilities people will need to contribute, grow, and ultimately lead as the boundaries between human and technological contribution are redrawn.
The first rung of the career ladder is changing
Emerging evidence suggests that early career professionals may be particularly exposed to AI-driven change. Research from Stanford’s Digital Economy Lab found that employment among 22–25 year-olds declined by 6% between late 2022 and September 2025 in highly AI-exposed US occupations. Employment among more experienced workers in the same occupations increased by 6–9%.
This is evidence from one labor market, not proof that AI is eliminating entry-level work more broadly. Nevertheless, it highlights an important challenge.
AI is increasingly capable of performing activities that have traditionally formed part of entry-level roles, including researching information, analyzing data, preparing first drafts, and creating presentations. These tasks have also helped people develop judgment, confidence, and professional capability through experience.
When technology performs more of this work, people may become productive more quickly. However, they may have fewer opportunities to navigate ambiguity, solve unfamiliar problems, and learn from mistakes. In solving for efficiency today, organizations could inadvertently create capability gaps later in the career journey.
Meaningful first roles are therefore essential not only to meet immediate workforce needs, but also to maintain healthy future leadership pipelines. If formative experiences are disappearing from early-career work, organizations must find more intentional ways to develop the human capabilities those experiences once helped to build.
Helping early career professionals in the age of AI
As AI takes on more routine work, early-career success will depend increasingly on what people can do beyond this technology. Talogy’s research identified eight transferable skills that help people contribute now, adapt as work changes, and prepare for greater responsibility:
- Digital dexterity
- Learning agility
- Creativity and innovation
- Critical thinking
- Adaptability
- Resilience
- Communication
- Teamwork
Let’s look at each of these a little more closely and how they impact early career professionals in the age of AI.
Responsiveness: Engaging with change
Responsiveness is the openness and agility to embrace technology, learn continuously, and adapt as work evolves.
- Digital dexterity is the confidence and curiosity to explore emerging technologies and apply them purposefully.
- Learning agility is the ability to learn from experience and apply that learning in unfamiliar situations.
AI can provide instant access to information, but access is not the same as learning. The advantage belongs to those who experiment, reflect, and keep expanding what they can do.
Insight: Deciding what matters
Insight is the ability to make sense of information, challenge assumptions, and generate ideas that create value.
- Creativity and innovation involve connecting perspectives and developing original possibilities.
- Critical thinking is the ability to evaluate evidence, question assumptions, and reach sound conclusions.
AI can generate convincing ideas and answers at extraordinary speed. Human insight determines which questions are worth asking, which outputs can be trusted, and which possibilities deserve to be pursued.
Sustainability: Growing through uncertainty
Sustainability is the capacity to adjust, recover, and maintain progress as circumstances change.
- Adaptability is the ability to change behavior, thinking, and approach in response to new demands.
- Resilience is the capacity to recover from setbacks, maintain perspective, and continue moving forward.
Early career professionals may enter roles that change around them. Adaptability helps them find a new direction; resilience gives them the momentum to keep going.
Effectiveness: Turning potential into progress
Effectiveness is the ability to communicate and collaborate so that ideas and effort lead to meaningful outcomes.
- Communication is the ability to express ideas clearly, understand others, and create shared meaning.
- Teamwork is the ability to combine different strengths and perspectives to achieve a common goal.
AI may amplify individual productivity, but progress still depends on people who can explain their reasoning, build trust, and work effectively with others.
Building the first rung
Technical knowledge and AI fluency will remain important, but tools will continue to change. Human capabilities provide the foundation that enables people to change with them.
Organizations cannot leave these skills to develop by chance. They must create opportunities for early career professionals to question AI-generated recommendations, solve unfamiliar problems, collaborate with others, and learn from feedback.
The first rung of the career ladder may be changing shape, but organizations still have a responsibility to build it. Developing the capabilities that help people rise will enable early-career talent to contribute alongside AI today and become the leaders organizations will depend on tomorrow.
The hidden impact of AI on future leaders
AI is changing how work gets done, and how people develop the skills they’ll need to progress.
As AI takes on more of the tasks that have traditionally helped people build foundational skills early in their careers, valuable on-the-job learning opportunities could be lost. With 78% of HR and talent leaders concerned about the long-term loss of critical leadership skills, organizations need to consider what that could mean as people progress into more senior roles.
Discover how to create more purposeful development opportunities today to strengthen your leadership pipeline for tomorrow in our latest guide, “AI and the leadership pipeline: The rising need for intentional development”.
What you’ll learn:
- How AI is changing early-career development and which valuable learning opportunities could be lost as work evolves.
- Why the impact could reach your leadership pipeline, including the potential implications for skill gaps and promotion readiness.
- Why AI fluency isn’t enough, and why transferable skills remain critical as people take on more complex responsibilities.
- How to make development more intentional by identifying the skills people need at different career stages and creating opportunities to strengthen them throughout the career journey.