On May 27, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation hosted AI+Work, a landmark special edition of its long-running Talent Forward event series. Together, we built a room where business leaders, workforce practitioners, educators, and change management experts could take on an important question: As AI reshapes how America works, how do we make sure it reshapes it well?
The answer, it turns out, is not a technical one. Here are several themes that emerged throughout the day:
- AI is moving from an abstract topic to an organizational one. Attendees arrived with a range of feelings—skepticism, uncertainty, and in some cases genuine anxiety. Many left with something more useful: curiosity and a clearer sense of where to start. If AI is going to become part of how we work, learn, hire, and serve communities, it cannot be treated as a side issue or a problem reserved for the technology department. It belongs at the center of how organizations think about their people, their strategy, and their purpose.
- Human skills are the bedrock of the AI era. Across every session, a consistent set of words surfaced: trust, judgment, empathy, critical thinking, communication, curiosity, discernment. They are the capabilities that become more valuable as AI becomes more capable. The question for employers, educators, and policymakers is not whether these skills matter. It is whether we are teaching them, measuring them, and recognizing them in the workforce with the same rigor we apply to technical credentials.
- Trust, not capability, is the real bottleneck. Organizations are not failing to adopt AI because the technology is not ready. They are hesitating because the people inside those organizations are not yet confident that AI will serve them well. Building that trust requires transparency about how AI is being used, honest conversations about what it can and cannot do, and leadership that models thoughtful adoption. As Bijal Shah of Guild noted, the most effective change agents are often not the executives—they are the colleagues who have already found something that works and are willing to share it: "The fastest way to drive adoption and behavior change is actually to have peers influencing peers."
- Usage is not the same as value. One of the sharpest distinctions to emerge from the day was the difference between using AI and benefiting from it. The better question is not "Are we using AI more?" It is "Is AI improving outcomes, expanding capacity, or helping people create more value?" Noella Sudbury, founder and CEO of Rasa Legal, offered one of the day’s most compelling examples. Her team uses AI to expunge criminal records faster, more affordably, and at scale. The result is not just a more efficient legal process, but expanded workforce participation for people who have long been locked out of the labor market. The operational case is strong. The human case is stronger. That is the standard worth aiming for.
- Small businesses are already using AI in practical ways. For many, AI is not about replacing jobs—it is about saving time, improving their work, and helping businesses stay competitive. U.S. Chamber President and CEO Suzanne P. Clark brought that to life with a simple example: a coffee shop owner who used AI to automate a manual packaging task. As Clark put it, "It was a remarkable story that let him sell more coffee—which requires him to have more people." That is the practical, people-centered case for AI adoption. The Foundation will soon release new research examining how AI is reshaping work for small businesses and their employees. In the meantime, Small Business B(AI)sics is already connecting entrepreneurs with free, practical AI training to help them move forward with confidence.
Matt Sigelman, president of the Burning Glass Institute, presents "What's Actually Changing in Skills Demand?" during Talent Forward: AI+Work on May 27 in Washington, D.C.
(From left) Stacy Eng, former chief learning and talent officer at Chevron and founder and chief learning advisor at AI Strategy Advisors; Bijal Shah, CEO of Guild; and Nick Lovegrove, academic director of the Executive MBA Program at Georgetown University, participate in a panel discussion.
An attendee experiments with virtual reality through Transfr, an exhibitor at Digital M(AI)n Street, during Talent Forward: AI+Work.
Michael Carney, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, moderates a panel with (from left) Beth Sanner, former deputy director of national intelligence and fellow at the Harvard Belfer Center Intelligence Program; Jeffrey Ding, assistant professor of political science at George Washington University; and Edwige Sacco, partner and head of workforce innovation at KPMG.
(From left) George Tang, founder of Viacela; Cynthia Pereda, director of the National Applied AI Consortium; Chris Ott, head of AWS Academy; and Jaimie Francis, vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, participate in a panel discussion.
Shawn Lukose, economist at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, presents during Talent Forward: AI+Work.
Suzanne P. Clark, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, delivers remarks on "Business Ingenuity and Workforce Resilience: A New Era of American Competitiveness"
(From left) Suzette Kent, former federal chief technology officer of the United States; and Julia Lane, professor emerita at New York University.
Eileen Kelly Rinaudo, senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, moderates a panel with (from left) Noella Sudbury, J.D., founder and CEO of Rasa Legal; Bharani Rajakumar, founder and CEO of Transfr; and Lina Ochman, head of U.S. SMB at Anthropic.
(From left) Melissa Fwu, executive director; and Joseph Davis, communications director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
Outsnapped display seen throughout Digital M(AI)n Street.
U.S. Senator Ben Sasse appears virtually alongside Michael Carney, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, during a discussion at Talent Forward: AI+Work.
Thank you to our event sponsors, Guild and QS, and Digital M(AI)n Street exhibitors: Outsnapped, Andala Labs, Syneurgy, Transfr, and Viacela.
- Lifelong learning is the new differentiator. The coming divide in our workforce will not be determined by access to technology alone. It will be shaped by the cultures, institutions, and employers that make continuous growth possible for everyone. As former Sen. Ben Sasse observed, the real differentiator is "the intentionality about becoming a lifelong learner." And that intentionality is not just an individual responsibility. It is an opportunity for businesses, educators, and community organizations to build the on-ramps, incentives, and environments where curiosity thrives and skills compound over time.
- Future-ready talent is built through real experience. The Foundation’s EPIC (Employer Provided Innovation Challenges) model offers a compelling example of what workforce preparation can look like in the AI era. By putting students to work on real business problems, EPIC builds the judgment, collaboration, and adaptability that employers consistently rank among their most sought-after qualities in new hires. It is the kind of learning that develops durable skills that no algorithm can replicate, and creates the talent pipeline that communities need.
Thank You
We are deeply grateful to our sponsors, Guild and QS, and exhibitors who made AI+Work possible. Just as importantly, we thank every participant who showed up ready to listen, challenge assumptions, and learn together. Your partnership, insight, and willingness to engage thoughtfully strengthened the conversation and underscored the demand for thoughtful, people-centered leadership in this moment.
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- Watch the session replays and bring one takeaway into your next team discussion.
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About the author
Alicia Sondberg
Alicia Sondberg is the manager of communications and digital marketing at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
