The Josh Bersin Company

Josh Bersin

Insider Insights on Corporate Talent, Learning, and HR Technology, with analyst perspectives, executive interviews, and in-depth vendor analysis.

  1. 1D AGO

    Finding Purpose And Identity In The New World of AI

    As AI transforms our jobs, careers, and lives what happens to our sense of self? If an AI agent can do my job, what happens to me? In this podcast I discuss the topic of purpose, identity, and mission and how we, as human agents, can keep ourselves happy and purposeful as more and more of our work becomes automated. Yes, these tools are amazing to see and use, but what happens when the career we spent decades building no longer really exists? Reinventing yourself is scary but we all have to do it. In this podcast I discuss how profound this change is becoming and what you, as a leader or HR professional, can do to help. All this information and much more is part of our 2026 Imperatives and will be embedded into Galileo, so get Galileo and ask Galileo to give you specific examples of how companies build purpose and identity all around the world. Join me in my 2026 Imperatives webinar on January 21 for more details. Like this podcast? Rate us on Spotify or Apple or YouTube. Additional Reading (recommended) Irresistible: The Seven Secrets of the World’s Most Enduring, Employee-Focused Organizations Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life The Healthy Organization: Next Big Thing In Employee Wellbeing       Chapters (00:00:00) - Purpose and Identity in the AI Era(00:09:42) - How Will AI Impact Your Career?(00:12:02) - The Need for Purpose in the Year Ahead(00:14:10) - Intelligence: The Imperatives Research

    14 min
  2. 5D AGO

    AI Architectures for HR: Agents, Superagents, and Workflows

    We are entering the year of Enterprise AI, and one of the imperatives we’re introducing is the need to think about your AI Architecture. While much of our AI journey has been focused on individual productivity tools, now we have a much bigger opportunity: using AI to rethink how our HR, talent, leadership, and human capital processes are designed. As you’ll hear our new Systemic HR® AI Blueprint defines a new set of “Superagents” that help us think through the new workflow automations we can deploy. In this podcast I explain the new AI architecture for HR at a high level and give you a sense of the explosive vendor market, the role of “citizen developers,” and the business case and process for prioritizing where to focus. All this information and much more is part of our 2026 Imperatives launch and will be embedded into Galileo, so get Galileo and ask Galileo to apply these architectural issues to your HR department. Not only do we have massive opportunities to build a more integrated HR department, these new AI architectures enable our companies to scale, grow, and add customer value faster and more profitably than ever. Join me in my 2026 Imperatives webinar on January 21 for more details. Like this podcast? Rate us on Spotify or Apple or YouTube. Additional Information Yes, AI Is Really Impacting The Job Market. Here’s What To Do. Imperatives for 2026: What’s Ahead for Enterprise AI, HR, Jobs, And Organizations The Collapse And Rebirth Of Online Learning And Professional Development Get Galileo: The World’s AI Agent For Everything HR and Leadership Chapters (00:00:00) - Machine Learning in HR: The Future of AI(00:11:51) - AI HR: The New Business Model

    23 min
  3. JAN 5

    The Amazing, Essential Frontline Workforce and UKG's Leadership Role

    Welcome to our new research on the Frontline Workforce. In this introductory podcast I explain the importance and complexities of these jobs, and why the people in these roles take on enormous responsibilities in our companies and our economy. More than 70% of US workers are employed in frontline roles, generating more than $6 Trillion in wages and value. While many business and HR leaders support the frontline, our research points out that the issues are far more complex than you may realize. In this podcast I detail some of these important management topics and I also describe how the HR Technology market has struggled to meet their needs. Then I discuss UKG the $5 Billion software company dedicated to this space and give you some insights on their pioneering and unique solutions. No matter what you do as a leader, HR professional, or manager, you likely know how critical our frontline workforce has become. Today frontline jobs in healthcare, transportation, construction, energy, airlines, and entertainment are the fastest growing segment of the workforce and also the roles least impacted negatively by AI. In fact AI is going to make these jobs even better. I hope you enjoy the discussion: stay tuned for a detailed article describing some of the frontline-work innovations recently announced by UKG and more on our research roadmap. If you would like to share your innovative solutions for frontline work, please contact us. Additional Information Powering the Frontline Workforce: How Frontline-First Companies Thrive (Research) The UKG Product Strategy An Exploration into the Frontline Workforce with Josh Bersin (YouTube Video with Josh Secrest of Paradox) The Age of The Superworker: Four Stages of AI Explainer Video Chapters (00:00:00) - Workforce Management in Ukg(00:11:18) - Kronos' Dynamic Labor Market System(00:13:16) - UKG's 'Unified Work Experience' for Workers(00:14:38) - UKG's Frontline Worker Network(00:17:58) - UKG's AI Architecture and Industry Solutions

    23 min
  4. 12/28/2025

    2026, The Year of Enterprise AI. Three Big Issues To Consider.

    Welcome to 2026, a year I coin “The Year of Enterprise AI.” As you’ll read about (and hear about) in our 2026 Imperatives launch, the coming year is all about AI moving from “assistants” to “agents” to “solutions.” And there are three big considerations to ponder. First, the cost of AI is skyrocketing, so we’re going to have to focus on high-value use-cases and business-specific solutions. That’s not to say AI assistants and meeting summaries are not valuable, but once you start paying by the token you’re going to want to go deeper. As we discuss in our new Systemic HR AI Framework, we’re sitting on billions of dollars of real business opportunities now, and they go far beyond individual assistants. (We call these Superagents.) And the cost of AI will accelerate this focus. Second, the data center buildout, energy costs, and political issues with data centers will matter. For corporate users this means understanding the underlying “costs” of AI usage (creating a single high powered image uses as much as 25% of the battery in your phone). I point this out to make you aware that these AI chatbots are not “free” – there are acres of computing campuses being built behind the scenes. And that means your “software providers” are turning into capital intensive companies. (And a new industry of data center companies may take over.) (For those of you in the energy industry, it’s a wild time – almost as exciting as I’ve seen since my early days as an energy engineer during the OPEC Arab Oil Embargo in the late 1970s.) Third is the fast-changing issue of AI’s accuracy, trust, and voracious appetite for data. As I discuss, the real opportunity for corporate AI is to take this problem head-on, and focus on your company’s data quality, governance, human feedback, and data labeling. The big AI labs are struggling to reduce the “Jaggedness” of AI (it’s strange ability to be really good at some things and totally dumb about others), and that encourages us to focus on narrow, domain-specific AI applications. And we all need to learn about RLHF (reinforcement learning with human feedback). Our experience with Galileo proves that an AI solution that focuses on a vertical domain can be infinitely more reliable and intelligent than a general purpose AI. But don’t let me argue with Sam Altman, you’ll have to figure this out yourself :-). We are launching our 2026 Imperatives research on the third week of January, and there will be a special release of Galileo to accompany the study. Our goal is not to give you a bunch of pithy predictions, but rather to give you a dozen hard-hitting “Must Do’s” for the year ahead. I look forward to talking with many of your this coming year as we travel around the world, join us in January for the launch of our 2026 Imperatives research. Like this podcast? Rate us on Spotify or Apple or YouTube. Additional Information Imperatives for 2026: What’s Ahead for Enterprise AI, HR, Jobs, And Organizations Chapters (00:00:00) - Three Challenges to AI in 2026(00:01:06) - The Cost of AI Infrastructure(00:06:03) - Sustainability in the AI Era(00:12:57) - The Big Story for Human Resources in 2026

    17 min
  5. 12/20/2025

    Five Things We Didn't Talk About Much In 2025: The Human Capital Agenda

    In this podcast I reflect on five big things we didn’t talk about much this year, and each falling into the “Human Capital” agenda. We spent much of our year worrying about AI, agents, productivity, and jobs, largely putting the “Human Capital” agenda on the back burner. While AI is certainly the defining technology of our times, there are human capital issues to consider. As I discuss, these “soft” issues help us address the “socio-technological” impacts of AI. There’s no question that AI is amazing and it will change our lives. As business people, however, we need to remind ourselves of the human capital issues that matter too. PS: The impact of AI on the job market is already taking a toll. Younger workers are now experiencing much higher unemployment rate than tenured workers, largely because companies believe AI can replace apprenticeships. I’m not a fan of this strategy but you can listen to this analysis to understand. Our big 2026 Imperatives report comes out in January, stay tuned. Additional Information The Dynamic Organization (the human capital strategies that matter during change) The Collapse And Rebirth Of Online Learning And Professional Development Human Centered Leadership (Galileo Learn program) The Healthy Organization (research)     Chapters (00:00:00) - The Business Agenda for 2025(00:09:57) - Human Capital Issues for 2021(00:13:57) - The Future of Jobs Is Uncertain

    23 min
  6. 12/17/2025

    The Online Learning Market Is Collapsing, And It's Good

    This week Coursera announced the acquisition of Udemy, demonstrating the accelerating collapse of the 25-year old traditional online learning industry. As I explain in this podcast, this industry is not going away but it’s being quickly and radically transformed by AI. The upside here is a new, highly personalized world of professional development ahead. While courseware, certifications, credentials, and online curricula won’t disappear overnight, the business model of providers is changing very quickly. In this podcast I explain this shift and also show you how our particular Galileo business model works. As someone who participated in the birth of this industry in 1998, I could not be more excited about this new world. If you’re a corporate HR or L&D professional, this transforms your training function. If you’re a vendor or consultant, this changes your business model. And if you’re a business person or senior leader, you have an exciting new world of professional development appearing before your eyes! Stay tuned for more as this market shift accelerates. Like this podcast? Rate us on Spotify or Apple or YouTube. Additional Information How AI Is Blowing Up The Corporate Learning Market: The Whole Story The Revolution of Corporate Learning: Join The Crusade (research and case studies) Galileo: The AI Rebirth of The Josh Bersin Academy     Chapters (00:00:00) - The collapse of the online learning industry(00:07:29) - The New Paradigm of Continuous AI-(00:17:43) - The Transformation of L&D

    19 min
  7. 12/11/2025

    The Art, Science, And Magic Of Recruiting In The World of AI

    Talent Acquisition is perhaps the most important but also complex part of business. In this podcast I explain the intricate details of this $750 billion market, which is now being transformed by AI. As you’ll hear, recruitment is far more nuanced than you may think, so “experts” in HR can do some pretty amazing things. I hope this podcast helps you see the entire landscape and also understand where and why AI can have such an impact. Many tech companies have tried and failed to transform the market (Google Jobs failed, Facebook Jobs failed), yet some thrive and deliver tremendous value. As you listen to this podcast I hope you get a better sense of where this market is going and I encourage you to get Galileo and ask Galileo to explain the vendor market in detail (it is updated almost daily). As always I welcome your feedback and if you have an amazing or interesting story to share, please reach out to us. Like this podcast? Rate us on Spotify or Apple or YouTube. Additional Information The Talent Acquisition Revolution: How AI is Transforming Recruiting (research) AI-First TA Transformation: Join the Revolution! (certificate course) Talent Acquisition Factbook (Benchmark your TA team).   Chapters (00:00:00) - The Process of Hiring and Talent Acquisition(00:07:42) - The 3 Step Process on Hiring Process(00:12:49) - Interviewing the Right People(00:22:23) - One more message about talent acquisition(00:26:18) - A message for recruiters and talent acquisition professionals

    28 min
4.6
out of 5
52 Ratings

About

Insider Insights on Corporate Talent, Learning, and HR Technology, with analyst perspectives, executive interviews, and in-depth vendor analysis.

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