March 26, 2026

AI has become a near-universal business priority. In the fourth quarter of 2025, 68% of S&P 500 companies mentioned AI on earnings calls, more than double the share just two years earlier.

But while the narrative is everywhere, the underlying transformation is not.

Across companies, there is a growing disconnect between AI investment, AI storytelling and how work actually gets done.

ICYMI: In our last newsletter, we spoke with Tonia Ries, a trust and business strategist, about how the definition of a “trusted leader” is evolving. Read it here.

1. Automation vs. augmentation: Both are true. Neither tells the whole story.

The dominant public debate frames AI as either a job killer or a productivity superpower. Both narratives are incomplete. The automation framing overlooks that most work will be reconfigured rather than eliminated. The augmentation framing routinely understates the organizational friction, uneven adoption and change management involved in realizing those gains.

And the impact of workforce demographic changes challenges both. In a recent article for the World Economic Forum, Indeed and Recruit Holdings CEO Hisayuki “Deko” Idekoba argued that aging populations, not AI, will define the future of work.

With labor forces shrinking across advanced economies, “AI is not a job killer. It is a job transformer.” As Deko notes, the real risk isn’t mass unemployment, but misallocating scarce talent in economies where workers are becoming more precious, not more expendable.

The opportunity for communicators: Vague reassurances don’t hold. The communications job is to push leaders toward specificity: what is changing, for whom, on what timeline, and build the internal and external language to deliver that consistently.

2. Reskilling won’t be enough.

Upskilling programs are everywhere, but they are inadequate as a standalone answer. The research is consistent: 84% of companies have not redesigned jobs or workflows around AI. Training employees to use AI tools while keeping them in outdated workflows produces incremental gains, not transformation.

The opportunity for communicators: Be honest about whether reskilling is accompanied by genuine workflow redesign. Communications built around reskilling programs that aren’t backed by structural change could backfire when employees realize the gap between the promise and the reality.

3. The talent pipeline problem is real but often misread.

Many companies are laser-focused on hiring AI and technical talent while simultaneously eliminating entry-level roles that have historically served as the pipeline for that talent. A Stanford analysis of payroll data shows a 13% drop in employment among younger, entry-level workers in AI-exposed roles, even as experienced hiring holds steady.

The opportunity for communicators: The talent narrative is shifting from a focus on technical skills toward judgment and decision-making capabilities. Companies that communicate AI transformation through the lens of what they’re building — rather than just what they’re cutting — will be better positioned with employees, recruits and the public.

4. AI as justification for layoffs: A credibility risk hiding in plain sight.

AI was cited in 55,000 layoffs in 2025, but research suggests that current AI platforms aren’t yet capable of fully replacing those workers. Indeed Hiring Lab research found that only about 25% of jobs are likely to be highly transformed by AI, rather than eliminated.

In New York State, where employers are now required to disclose when layoffs are technology driven, none of the 160 companies filing notices checked the technology box. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy noted that his company’s major 2025 cuts were “not really AI-driven.”

When leaders use AI as a forward-looking cover for financially-motivated restructuring, they signal to employees and the public that they view AI primarily as a headcount reduction tool. That framing erodes trust, undermines future AI adoption and fosters the cynicism that makes workforce transformation harder.

That credibility challenge is already spilling into the broader public conversation. As The Wall Street Journal reported this week, major AI companies are increasingly on a “charm offensive” to soften public backlash and respond to growing anxiety about AI’s real-world impact.

The opportunity for communicators: Advocate internally for accurate attribution for workforce changes. When restructuring is driven by overhiring, business model shifts or cost pressures, say so. Precision here is not a liability. Credibility is the asset.

Go deeper: AI transformation is a leadership problem, not a workforce problem

The research consistently points to something most organizations underestimate: The primary barrier to AI transformation is leadership clarity, not employee readiness.

• Employees are already using AI tools, expect their work to change and are eager to build new skills. What’s missing is direction.
• Without clear priorities, ownership, and ambition from the top, organizations default to isolated use cases instead of systemic change.

That creates a clear opening for communications leaders. AI transformation is not just a technology story –  it’s a strategy, values and trust story. And those are shaped as much by narrative as execution.

The ability to clearly articulate how and why your organization is using AI — and what it means for your people — is an opportunity for real competitive differentiation.

THE BOTTOM LINE

AI is already reshaping how companies talk about work, often faster than it’s reshaping the work itself. For communications leaders, the mandate now shifts from messaging to narrative integrity: building a clear, credible narrative about what is changing, why it matters, what it means for employees and where the organization is actually headed.

That means equipping leaders internally and externally with language, proof points and consistent framing that can hold up across employee communications, media interviews, investor conversations and moments of scrutiny.

What that means in practice:

• Get upstream. Be in the room before workforce decisions are made, not brought in to explain them after. Close the gap between story and reality.
• Pressure-test AI narratives against what employees will actually experience. If reskilling, restructuring or AI attribution aren’t grounded in real change, employees, media and other stakeholders will spot the disconnect quickly.
• Push for specificity. Employees are sophisticated enough to know when “AI will augment your work” means nothing. Lean into specific timelines, roles and commitments.
• Protect credibility. When restructuring is financially-motivated, say so. Using AI as shorthand for cost-cutting may work in the short term, but creates long-term trust deficits.
• Reframe the workforce story. The real shift isn’t just who is being replaced, it’s about what capabilities organizations are building.

Leaders who navigate this well won’t just implement AI more effectively. They will communicate the transformation with clarity and earn trust in the process.

Key upcoming events

Marketing + Media

• Adweek Social Media Week (New York City, April 14-16) Marketers, creators and brand leaders will convene to navigate platform fragmentation, AI disruption and the evolving business of attention, examining how social drives culture, commerce and measurable impact. Speakers include Rob Gaige, Global Head of Insights at Reddit; Sean Atkins, CEO of Dhar Mann Studios; and Jessica Yellin, Founder of News Not Noise.

• Marketing Vanguard Summit (Chicago, May 7) Join marketing and business leaders, cultural figures and academics to examine how CMOs can lead through ambiguity and drive enterprise value. Participants include Mark Kirkham, CMO of PepsiCo Beverages U.S.; Jill Kramer, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of Mastercard; and Maggie Schmerin, Chief Advertising Officer of United Airlines.

Global Economy + Policy

• Semafor World Economy Summit (Washington, D.C., April 13-17) More than 400 global CEOs, as well as investors and policymakers, gather for five days of conversation examining the forces reshaping the world economy — from AI and geopolitics to capital flows, climate and future industries. Speakers include Deko (Hisayuki) Idekoba, CEO of Indeed and President & CEO of Recruit Holdings; Roger Lynch, CEO of Condé Nast; Henry M. Paulson Jr., Chairman of the Paulson Institute and former U.S. Treasury Secretary; Dennis Mathew, Chairman & CEO of Optimum; and Patrice Louvet, President & CEO of Ralph Lauren.
• CNBC Invest in America Forum (Washington, D.C., April 15) Top investors, policymakers, and CEOs examine how economic policy is translating into real-world consequences for American business and accelerating investment in technology and AI infrastructure. Speakers include Marc Rowan, Co-Founder and CEO of Apollo Global Management; Scott Strazik, President and CEO of GE Vernova; moderated by Sara Eisen, Co-Anchor of CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” and “Money Movers.”
• The Wall Street Journal Future of Everything (New York City, May 4-5) The Journal’s flagship innovation conference explores how emerging technologies are reshaping business, culture and daily life. ​​Speakers include Barry Diller, Chairman and Senior Executive of IAC; Joanna Stern, Chief Technology Analyst at NBC News; and Ariel Ekblaw, Founder of the MIT Space Exploration Initiative and CEO of Aurelia Institute.

Talent + Workforce

• HR Brew The Talent 2030 Collective (New York City, April 21) Join HR leaders for a day of conversations on how to recruit, develop and retain top talent amid economic uncertainty, from AI in hiring to skills-based workforce strategy and long-term employee wellbeing. Speakers include Dr. Benjamin Granger, Chief Workplace Psychologist at Qualtrics; Daniel Chait, CEO and Co-Founder of Greenhouse Software; and Amber Grewal, Chief Growth Officer at Eightfold.
• Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit (Atlanta, May 19-20) Join senior executives, CHROs, technologists and culture leaders to examine how AI, demographic shifts and evolving employee expectations are reshaping the future of work, with Indeed serving as the event’s Founding and Data Partner. Speakers include Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO of The King Center; Hannah Pritchett, Chief People Officer of Anthropic; and John Santora, CEO of WeWork.

AI + Enterprise Execution

• Reuters Momentum AI New York (New York City, April 27-28) Learn how to move AI from experimentation to execution over two days of practical, case-driven conversations focused on scaling responsibly, building trusted systems and turning strategy into measurable impact.
  

Health

• Fierce Pharma Engage (San Diego, April 22-24) A gathering of senior leaders in pharma marketing, PR and communications, medical affairs and business development and licensing focused on strategic collaboration, candid conversation and meaningful connection. The event matches profiled senior executives with solution partners for discussions that address their most pressing challenges.

Bookmark Global Gateway Advisors’ event tracker, updated weekly.

Media news

Expansion and experimentation

• Semafor Gulf ramps up publishing. Following its first year of profitability, the outlet is expanding to an 11-person editorial team and moving to a five-day-a-week publishing schedule. Co-Founder and CEO Justin B. Smith pointed to the Gulf’s growing global importance and Semafor’s ambition to become the “business and economic news platform of record” in the region.
• Business titans face off. CNN is launching “The 1 on 1,” a new show featuring business leaders interviewing one another. The first episode pairs chef-entrepreneurs Eric Ripert and José Andrés, followed by Pinterest CEO Bill Ready and Venmo Co-Founder Iqram Magdon-Ismail.
• McClatchy journalists “revolt” amid AI tool use. Dozens of Sacramento Bee staffers said they would withhold their bylines from stories produced using McClatchy’s new generative AI tool, which repurposes reporters’ existing work. “Our managers describe this to us as an experiment,” said reporter Ariane Lange, “and we responded, ‘Yeah, it is an experiment, and the imperiled guinea pig is our credibility.’”

Acquisitions

• OpenAI buys TBPN. In its first foray into media, the tech company purchased the popular tech industry talk show for an undisclosed amount. The show was on track to make more than $30 million this year despite its relatively modest audience of around 70,000 per episode. Noting OpenAI’s atypical nature, Fidji Simo, the company’s CEO of applications, said in a memo that the standard communications playbook simply doesn’t apply.
• LinkedIn explored beehiiv acquisition. In a recent newsletter, Semafor media editor Max Tani discussed rumors around potential M&A discussions in late 2025, though neither party responded to request for comment. If true, it would underscore the continued influence of newsletters among professional audiences and reflect a broader media M&A trend driven less by profit than by reputational clout and messaging, Tani notes.

Media in motion

• The Atlantic + Seabourn. The magazine and luxury cruise line announced a three-year partnership that will bring the former’s writers and editorial programming aboard select voyages starting this fall. As part of the deal, passengers aboard those routes will receive digital access while onboard, as well as a three-month subscription after returning home.
• The New York Times + Delta. All of the Times’ journalism and content – including games and cooking –  will be available to Delta SkyMiles members through seatback screens and personal devices connected to WiFi. Once signed in, flyers will retain their access for 24 hours.

And, several new newsletters

• Axios is testing a C-suite newsletter. Written by Axios co-founder Jim VandeHei, it will feature insights from top business leaders. In a recent edition, Sam Altman shared three tips for AI implementation over the next 6-12 months. To request access, email csuite@axios.com with your name, title and company; approved readers receive their first edition on Saturday.
• Business Insider launches “Vibe Mode.” The weekly newsletter will track the rise of vibe coding — that is, a non-technical way of utilizing AI to write code — and what it means for work, startups and the economy.
• Marketing Vanguard debuts. Written by Jenny Rooney, ADWEEK’s new CMO-focused newsletter will cover leadership, strategy, talent, technology and creativity, with contributions from senior marketers across the Marketing Vanguard community.

Media moves

• The Atlantic hired Kelsey Ables, Janay Kingsberry, Will Oremus, and Matt Viser, all formerly at The Washington Post, as staff writers
• Hope King joined the beehiiv Media Collective and launched Macro Talk’s first newsletter, MacroTalk.News. Sign up here.
• The Financial Times’ George Hammond is now the deputy bureau chief on the West Coast. He will continue covering venture capital and AI. The outlet also appointed Mel Unsworth (previously END Clothing) as chief technology officer.
• Victor Swezey returned to Bloomberg News as a rotational reporter starting with the Management + Work team, where he will cover changing workplaces and the decisions made by corporate executives.
• Kelly Gilblom was named U.S. health team leader at Bloomberg News, managing a team of eight reporters, covering all aspects of the U.S. healthcare system.
• Business Insider hired Stephen Council (previously at SFGate) and Rya Jetha (formerly at The San Francisco Standard) to cover AI and emerging tech.
• Matt Brittin (formerly at Google) was hired as the BBC‘s new director general.
• CIO Dive hired Paige Gross (previously at States Newsroom) to cover enterprise technology and AI.
• Ruth Reader (formerly at Fast Company and Politico) joined Second Opinion Media.

Want these insights sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe here.