Fears of AI-induced mass job losses may be premature, but the workplace is already being reshaped as employers begin seeking different skill sets to complement the technology’s rapid rise, according to ManpowerGroup’s Chief Innovation Officer, Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic.
Speaking at the Vivatech trade fair in Paris, Chamorro-Premuzic dismissed doomsday forecasts of AI replacing workers en masse.
While some startups showcased autonomous AI “agents” as potential job substitutes, he said these technologies won’t become central to recruitment firms anytime soon. “If history shows us one thing, it’s that most of these forecasts are wrong,” he added.
Still, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) recently found that roughly one in four global workers are in jobs that could be affected by generative AI. While full automation risks remain low for now, the ILO warned that the swift progress in AI, particularly autonomous models capable of using software and communication tools, could alter workplace dynamics significantly.
Chamorro-Premuzic said AI could save professionals up to half their working hours but warned that productivity gains depend on how that saved time is used. “If that time is wasted on social media, that’s not an increase in net output,” he noted.
The ILO echoed similar concerns, suggesting AI might either give workers more space for creative work or tighten control over their roles, reducing autonomy.
ManpowerGroup’s recent survey of over 40,000 employers across 42 countries found that interpersonal and leadership abilities—like ethical judgement, customer service, and strategic thinking—remain irreplaceable by AI. However, Chamorro-Premuzic lamented that investment in training for these skills hasn’t kept up with companies’ AI adoption.
“For every dollar you invest in technology, you need to invest eight or nine in HR, cultural transformation, and change management,” he said, arguing that many businesses are still more focused on automation than genuine human-AI collaboration.
Recruitment—the very business ManpowerGroup is built on—is also undergoing a swift AI-driven transformation. Job applicants are now using AI to submit hundreds of perfectly written applications daily, deploy bots to attend interviews, and even manipulate assessments.
While this may sound extreme, a recent TestGorilla survey of more than 1,000 job seekers found that only 17% admitted to cheating on assessments, and not all used AI. However, hiring managers aren’t staying behind—nearly two-thirds said they use AI to write job descriptions and screen applications. Fewer have taken the step of letting AI conduct interviews.
As recruiters shift their focus from qualifications to soft skills, Chamorro-Premuzic said the next frontier in hiring will be assessing a candidate’s potential rather than current skill sets, which could soon be outdated. “I’m better off knowing that you’re hard-working, curious, have good people skills, and that you’re not a jerk,” he said, adding that AI can help measure these qualities.
