Featured in People Management
The conversation around AI and jobs often swings between two extremes; optimism about productivity gains and anxiety about large scale job displacement.
Recent research from the Institute of Student Employers (ISE), featured in People Management, suggests that most employers do not expect AI to fully replace entry-level roles in the near future. Instead, organisations are anticipating significant changes to how graduate and apprentice roles are structured, with many tasks evolving rather than disappearing entirely.
The findings reflect what many HR and leadership teams are already starting to experience in practice. AI is reshaping the nature of work itself, particularly at entry level, rather than removing work.
Gemma Bullivant shared her perspective with People Management on what this shift could mean for recruitment, capability building and long-term workforce development.
Recruitment processes will need to evolve
One of the most immediate challenges organisations are facing is how AI is changing recruitment itself.
The research found that two thirds of employers believe candidates are now using AI to misrepresent or over-enhance their applications. But as Gemma points out, AI has arguably accelerated a behaviour that already existed.
“In many ways, AI has democratised something that already existed on CVs and applications – presenting experience in the most impressive possible light. The difference now is the scale and sophistication.”
The challenge for organisations is not simply identifying AI usage, but ensuring recruitment processes genuinely assess capability, judgement and potential.
“It means organisations will need more focused and robust selection processes that properly test capability, judgement and authenticity, rather than relying too heavily on polished written applications alone.”
This is likely to place greater importance on assessment methods that move beyond traditional CV screening and application forms, including practical exercises, scenario-based assessments, live discussion and critical thinking evaluation.
The risk of weakening the talent pipeline
While much of the public conversation around AI focuses on efficiency, Gemma highlights a more strategic concern that organisations may underestimate: the long-term impact on capability pipelines.
“The ISE findings reflect something many organisations are already starting to experience, but the extent of change will depend heavily on the sector and the nature of the work involved.”
In some sectors, particularly professions such as law and accountancy, entry-level roles have historically played an important developmental role. Junior employees gradually build technical judgement, contextual understanding and commercial awareness through exposure, repetition and experience over time.
“In some professions, employers will need to think very carefully before stripping out large parts of the entry-level layer altogether. Sectors such as law and accountancy have traditionally relied on junior roles to help people learn the fundamentals of the profession over time.”
This creates a potential longer term risk for organisations moving too quickly to automate or reduce early career pathways.
“There is a real risk these organisations could sleepwalk into a future where there are too few experienced mid-level employees because the development pipeline has been weakened too early.”
This is one of the most important strategic questions organisations now face.
Because while AI may improve short term efficiency, capability development within organisations still relies heavily on learning through experience, exposure and judgement building over time.
Entry-level work is becoming increasingly AI-enabled
The article also highlights a broader shift in how organisations are thinking about junior roles themselves.
Rather than treating AI as a separate skillset, many employers are increasingly expecting employees to work alongside AI tools from day one.
“In other sectors, however, the career track may be able to accommodate more significant change.”
“And regardless of sector, AI is already shifting expectations away from purely process-driven work and towards skills such as critical thinking, discernment, creativity and relationship management.”
This reflects a broader evolution in what organisations now value.
As more routine or repeatable tasks become automated, the human capabilities surrounding judgement, communication, relationship management and critical thinking become increasingly important, even at early career stages.
“We are increasingly seeing entry-level roles become more ‘AI-enabled’, where employees are expected to work alongside these tools from day one rather than treat them as something separate.”
This means organisations may need to rethink not just tasks, but the wider structure of development pathways, capability frameworks and learning expectations.
Why AI capability building cannot sit with junior employees alone
One of the most significant leadership challenges emerging from AI adoption is that organisations are often expecting managers and employees to navigate the learning curve simultaneously.
“For HR teams, the focus now should be on AI literacy and capability-building across the whole workforce, not just within early careers roles and job redesign.”
Historically, junior employees may have developed capability through mentoring and guidance from more experienced colleagues. But AI adoption is creating a different dynamic, where senior leaders and managers are often learning in parallel with their teams.
“Unlike other skills that junior employees may traditionally have developed through mentoring from more experienced colleagues, managers and leaders are often navigating the same learning curve themselves.”
This creates a significant organisational challenge around confidence, experimentation and responsible AI use.
“That means organisations need to create space for experimentation, learning and practical guidance at every level if they want employees to adapt confidently and responsibly.”
Increasingly, AI adoption is becoming less about technology implementation alone and more about organisational learning capability.
The strategic HR challenge ahead
Perhaps the biggest shift for HR teams is recognising that AI transformation goes far beyond a technology conversation, to more of a workforce design, capability and leadership conversation.
The organisations likely to navigate this transition most effectively will not simply be the ones automating fastest. They will be the organisations thinking carefully about:
- how capability develops over time
- which experiences are critical for future leadership pipelines
- how judgement and discernment are built
- where human skills become more valuable alongside AI
- and how organisations create confidence and adaptability across the workforce
Because while AI may change how work gets done, organisations still need people capable of thinking critically, exercising judgement and leading effectively within increasingly complex environments.
And those capabilities still need to be developed somewhere.
