The Chief Work Officer: Leading the Human-AI Frontier

In this article we discuss:

• A New Mindset Beyond Incremental Change

• Key Aspects of the Chief Work Officer Mindset

• HR’s Role in the AI Transformation

• What’s on the Horizon for Humans at Work

You can listen to this episode as audio only on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

It’s nearly impossible to think about work today without thinking about AI.

While the benefits of AI and its impact on the world of work are extremely promising, the chasm of the unknown is vast. And the way we used to know and define work is evolving, giving way to a different future with new skillsets and opportunities emerging for enhanced human-AI connection.

Far from reducing opportunities to connect, AI is actually fostering deeper collaboration—pushing teams together in unprecedented ways and cultivating new levels of responsibility, critical thinking, and human ingenuity.

This fundamental shift empowers humans to actively define the future of work itself.

However, the sheer scale of AI’s impact means that distilling all associated responsibilities into one single role is impossible, creating a clear gap in how organizations are preparing for this new era. This is where the need for a chief work officer mindset comes in.

In a recent discussion on the Future of Work podcast, Workday’s Vice President of Artificial Intelligence, Kathy Pham, sat down with Athena Karp, Senior Vice President of Product and Solutions Marketing at Workday, to discuss this new layer of responsibility and where it should sit within organizations. Let’s explore their perspectives.

A New Mindset Beyond Incremental Change

The conversation kicks off with Karp highlighting the profound shift brought by agentic AI, a transformation that demands not just incremental changes, but a fundamentally new mindset. Karp explains that "With Agentic AI, we have the opportunity to actually leapfrog entire processes, entire job functions to be rethought.” While this shift is monumental, it is an incredibly rewarding effort to proactively design the future of work.

This radical change in how we think about work gives rise to the chief work officer concept. It's not a single role, but rather, a crucial mindset and collective effort.

It can be viewed as the human embodiment of a collaborative approach that involves various teams shepherding the workforce through the rapid evolution of human-machine collaboration.

Key Aspects of the Chief Work Officer Mindset

This mindset transformation isn't just theoretical; it's a practical framework encompassing five critical areas, highlighted by Pham and Karp in their discussion.

Human-Machine Collaboration

The core of this new era is the seamless integration of humans and AI. Karp emphasizes that work is increasingly being done by humans and machines together, including agents. This means moving beyond mere software usage to true human-machine collaboration, with AI agents democratizing expertise and augmenting human capabilities.

Redefining Work and Roles

With agentic AI, organizations can ask questions like "why do we even work this way?" and "how can we get ahead of evolving circumstances and technology?" This proactive questioning paves the way for new roles and skills like an agent workflow architect.

Strategic Planning and Readiness

The Chief Work Officer mindset involves careful planning and forecasting, especially when detecting how roles will evolve. Karp says it’s also about "readying the workforce and continuing to keep them both aligned and aware of what those changes are and make sure that we are ushering people through that evolution."

Democratizing Skills

A powerful benefit of agentic AI is its ability to democratize expertise and augment people who otherwise may have lacked years of relevant industry experience.This opens up opportunities for hiring based on potential and not just traditional role requirements, enabling broader access to specialized skills and knowledge.

Ethical and Responsible AI Governance

Pham and Karp also discuss the vital role of chief responsible AI officers, chief ethics officers, and even chief legal officers in this new world of human and digital workforces. Karp notes, "We need them more than ever to take what they know so deeply, which is governance, and bring that into technology, as well and translate that across human-machine collaboration." This ensures safety, fairness, and the thoughtful application of AI technologies.

HR’s Role in the Chief Work Officer Mindset

HR leaders play a vital role in embodying the Chief Work Officer mindset and navigating the new realities of a digital workforce–in large part, they’re the glue.

Agentic AI implementation and usage today requires HR to establish a deep and collaborative partnership with CIOs, CTOs, and chief AI officers to understand upcoming AI advancements, and how to measure the performance of human-machine collaboration.

Karp points out that HR stands in the center because it directly impacts "every employee that is performing, that is functioning across the org, how we're paying them, how we're equipping them to know what's coming."

The key takeaway for leaders, as Karp stresses, is that this transformation "cannot and should not be a CHRO torch only. We need every single executive." This cross-functional collaboration ensures that the entire C-suite is invested in preparing their teams for the AI-driven future.

They are collectively responsible for:

• Managing the Human-AI Balancing Act: Balancing the potential benefits of AI with the need to address employee concerns about job displacement.

• Driving Change Management: Helping employees adapt to new ways of working and fostering a positive attitude towards AI through cultural strategies and clear company values.

• Developing AI-Related Skills: Ensuring that employees have the skills they need to work effectively and partnering cross-functionally to define what those skills are.

• Promoting Ethical AI Use: Establishing guidelines, frameworks, and success metrics for the responsible and ethical use of AI within the organization.

What’s on the Horizon for Humans at Work

The integration of AI into the workplace presents both challenges and profound opportunities. As the old definitions of work are redefined and new possibilities emerge, human ingenuity and critical thinking—coupled with AI augmenting human capabilities—will shape the path forward.

The CWO, whether embodied by an individual or a cross-functional team, is not just about managing AI; it's about actively designing the future of human work.

This approach empowers organizations to move beyond simply reacting to AI's advancements, calling for proactive partnership among HR, IT, operations, and leadership to define this new work landscape.

Ultimately, the future of work with AI will be one where human intention shapes a more productive, ethical, and fulfilling world of work for all.


Ninety-eight percent of CEOs foresee an immediate business benefit from implementing AI. Download this report to discover the potential positive impact on your company, with insights from 2,355 global leaders.