Introduction: AI is Changing Work—and Workforce Planning Must Evolve

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation is transforming how organisations hire, develop, and manage employees. Generative AI use has nearly doubled; 75% of global knowledge workers now use AI at work, and 46% started using it within the last six months. AI helps people save time (90%), focus on their most important work (85%), and be more creative (84%). Yet its rapid adoption also breeds confusion: 78% of AI users bring their own tools to work, and over half hide this usage. Leaders recognise the stakes—79% believe AI adoption is necessary, yet 60% worry their organisation lacks a coherent plan.

Against this backdrop, Laith Saud—founder of the Human After platform—argues that AI must be treated as a relationship rather than simply a productivity tool. According to Saud, AI will mediate every employer–employee interaction; algorithms embed human assumptions and influence power dynamics. He urges HR professionals to claim ownership of this integration because boards seek interpreters of tomorrow’s workforce, not custodians of yesterday’s. Saud’s philosophy offers an important lens for workforce planning—the process of ensuring an organisation has the right people, skills and structures to execute its strategy.

Workforce Planning: Definition and Benefits

What is Strategic Workforce Planning?

Strategic workforce planning (SWP) is described as a continual process of identifying workforce gaps and developing a methodical people plan to ensure the organisation has the employees, skills, and knowledge needed for current and future business goals. SWP optimises costs by preventing over- or understaffing and aligns workforce design with long-term strategy. Its goals include achieving the right size (number of people and roles), shape (workforce configuration and competencies), cost (optimal labour cost), and agility (ability to adapt to changing markets). Some practitioners summarise the objectives as the 7 Rs of workforce planning—right people, right skills, right shape, right size, right time, right place, and right cost.

Why Workforce Planning Matters in an AI World

Strategic workforce planning yields several benefits:

• Addressing demographic shifts: An aging workforce and mass retirements can create skills gaps. SWP anticipates these challenges and prepares organisations to reskill or replace employees.
  
  
• Cost reduction and efficiency: Hiring the right number of employees with the right skills reduces costs related to overstaffing and attrition.
  
  
• Effective talent management: SWP helps build a pipeline of competent employees by aligning recruitment, development, and succession management.
  
  
• Future readiness: By forecasting scenarios, SWP enables organisations to prepare for market disruptions, technological advancements, and unexpected events.
  
  
• Flexibility and risk mitigation: Proactive planning helps allocate resources to priority areas and mitigates risks related to overstaffing, budgets, and skills gaps.
  
  
• Alignment with strategy: Thinking about where the business will go in three to five years helps align workforce plans with broader organisational objectives.
  
  

In the age of AI, workforce planning also supports ethical and inclusive AI adoption. Saud notes that AI systems can reinforce bias if left unchecked; planning ensures that HR designs frameworks in which algorithms enhance rather than replace human relationships.

Saud’s Perspective: AI as a Relationship and Workforce Planning as Stewardship

AI as a Relationship, Not a Tool

LaithSaud argues that AI’s integration is civilisational, changing the way humans interact with technology. He insists that HR must treat AI as a relationship that influences communication, decision-making, and culture. Each algorithm introduced into hiring or workforce planning carries implicit cultural assumptions; HR must interpret and shape these dynamics so AI remains a force for good.

The CHRO’s Four Agendas

According to Saud, CHROs belong in the boardroom because they own four strategic agendas:

1. People strategy and risk: explain employer brand, talent markets, and risks (including AI-driven changes).
   
   
2. Talent, skills, and sustainability: inform the board about approaches to attracting, developing, and retaining critical skills.
   
   
3. Culture, engagement, and productivity: show how HR initiatives drive productivity and shape culture.
   
   
4. Workforce diversity and inclusion: highlight workforce dynamics beyond demographics and audit algorithms for bias.
   
   

These agendas align with workforce planning, demonstrating why HR must champion strategic planning to secure a seat at the board table. Saud warns that if HR does not claim ownership of AI integration, information and technology officers may take over. Workforce planning becomes not only a tool for efficiency but a means of safeguarding human values.

How AI Frees HR to Focus on Strategy

AI automates routine HR tasks—drafting job descriptions, screening resumes, conducting preliminary interviews, and scheduling appointments—freeing HR professionals to engage in relationship-building and strategic workforce planning. A report from PwC found that AI agents reduce human effort by 40–50%, with 88% of administrative workflows potentially automated. This shift underscores Saud’s message: AI is not about replacing humans but creating space for strategic, human-centric activities.

Generative AI and Task Transformation

Generative AI reshapes HR by transforming tasks, not replacing jobs. By automating elements of talent management and employee support, generative AI enables HR business partners to concentrate on strategic planning and aligning HR with business goals. Workforce planning must therefore integrate AI to ensure tasks are delegated appropriately—keeping emotional or ethical work human while automating repetitive functions.

Current State of Workforce Planning

A survey found that fewer than half of HR functions carry out any form of strategic workforce planning; about 49% perform only operational planning focused on short-term headcount and budgets. Strategic planning requires understanding business strategy, conducting supply-demand gap analysis, and developing plans to close talent gaps.

Barriers and Why It’s Underused

The same report highlights why strategic workforce planning is rare:

• Time and capacity constraints: Many HR business partners lack time to undertake the analytical and strategic tasks required.
  
  
• Complexity and data requirements: Effective planning needs a deep understanding of current capabilities, future needs, and evolving internal and external capabilities.
  
  
• AI’s rapid disruption: Because AI upends job roles and required skills quickly, some leaders question whether long-term planning is worthwhile.
  
  

The Need for a New Approach

Strategic workforce planning is more crucial than ever because leaders investing in AI will be receptive to HR using workforce planning to build a future-ready workforce. To retrofit workforce planning for an AI-driven world, the article offers three recommendations:

1. Get all of HR involved: Workforce planning should not be isolated to a specialist; all HR domains—recruiting, learning and development (L&D), and analytics—should contribute data and insights.
   
   
2. Clear the path for strategic work: Revisit administrative tasks to free up time for planning. Automating or outsourcing basic work allows HR to focus on strategy.
   
   
3. Make planning continuous: Rather than an annual event, strategic workforce planning should be a continuous process with monthly reviews, real-time data monitoring, and flexibility to adjust to change.
   
   

Integrating AI and Workforce Planning: Trends and Statistics

Workforce planning must anticipate skill gaps and invest in reskilling, especially as AI continues to disrupt and transform tasks. The growing adoption of agentic AI and autonomous decision-making will further change HR dynamics, making it crucial for HR professionals to deepen their understanding of this technology and its ethical implications.

A Human-Centric Framework for Workforce Planning

1. Establish a shared AI–workforce vision: Set the expectation that AI is a partner, not just a tool. HR should articulate how AI will interact with employees, managers, and culture.
   
   
2. Align workforce planning with business and AI strategy: Combine long-term business goals with a roadmap for AI adoption. Identify roles that will be augmented, created, or phased out.
   
   
3. Engage stakeholders: Involve the board, executives, middle managers, and employees in workshops and consultations to build trust and transparency.
   
   
4. Assess current workforce and future demand: Use people analytics to map current competencies and identify critical roles, high-risk areas, and potential redundancy.
   
   
5. Develop strategies to close gaps: Use a build-buy-borrow-automate framework. Invest in reskilling and upskilling, redesign roles, and create new positions to support AI governance.
   
   
6. Embed ethical and inclusive governance: Draft AI principles and policies, assign clear ownership, and monitor employee sentiment to ensure fairness and transparency.
   
   

Conclusion: A Call to Strategic Action

Workforce planning matters more than ever because AI is reshaping tasks, roles, and organisational structures at unprecedented speed. Saud’s philosophy that AI is a relationship challenges HR leaders to move beyond compliance and become strategic stewards of the AI-mediated workplace. Strategic workforce planning should be continuous, inclusive, and aligned with AI strategy, with clear governance and investment in reskilling. By following Saud’s advice—interpreting AI’s impact on humans, owning the relationship, and reframing workforce planning as a strategic discipline—HR leaders can ensure their organisations thrive in the AI era.