Whether companies can turn the use of AI into a genuine competitive advantage depends not only on the technology itself, but above all on how they empower their employees to actively shape this transformation.
“If you don’t use AI, you’ll lose your job to somebody who does.” This widely quoted statement by NVIDIA founder Jensen Huang gets to the heart of one of the key questions companies are currently facing:
What does AI actually mean for our jobs, and how do we prepare employees for it? At the Learning Executive Forum (LEF) hosted by 3spin Learning in Hamburg on August 27, 2026, Inga Dransfeld-Haase, CHRO of TÜV NORD AG, spoke about how companies can navigate this transformation. One thing became clear: HR needs a plan for how it will shape the changes brought about by AI.
According to the 2025 Konstanz AI Study presented at the LEF, 35% of employees are already using AI, an increase of 11 percentage points from the previous year.
However, expectations surrounding AI vary significantly. While 43% of knowledge workers expect AI to have a positive impact, only 24% of employees in manual occupations share this view. This is an important insight for HR. AI transformation is not just about technology. It is also about expectations, uncertainty, skills, and whether employees feel part of this development. Companies therefore cannot simply roll out AI as a technical solution. They need to bring their people along on the journey.
Hardly any discussion about artificial intelligence takes place without this question:“Will AI replace my job?”
The data presented at the LEF paints a more nuanced picture. According to the Konstanz AI Study, there have so far been no negative employment effects attributable to AI. At the same time, however, AI is changing tasks and skill requirements. This shifts the key question from “Will AI replace my job?” to “How will AI change my job, and what skills will I need in the future?”
This is precisely where HR and Learning & Development have a key role to play. Employees need opportunities not only to become familiar with new technologies, but also to build the skills required to integrate them effectively into their everyday work.
AI can also help people develop new skills. According to figures from the PwC 2026 AI Jobs Barometer presented at the LEF, 83% of employees are supported by AI solutions in acquiring new skills.
This opens up an exciting opportunity for corporate learning. AI can, for example, help to:
In this way, AI evolves from being a subject of training itself into a tool for learning and development.
From a business perspective, the speed of transformation is also becoming increasingly important. According to the PwC 2026 AI Jobs Barometer presented at the LEF, the lead held by the world’s most AI-exposed companies has tripled since 2022. Waiting is therefore also a decision.
Companies that build AI skills early can gain experience, identify use cases, and learn where the technology actually creates value. However, the goal is not to deploy AI everywhere as quickly as possible. Rather, it is about enabling innovation while using the technology responsibly. TÜV NORD’s experience demonstrates how these two objectives can be combined.
TÜV NORD
At the TÜV NORD GROUP, AI is not viewed solely as a technology project. According to Inga Dransfeld-Haase, the company is pursuing a clear vision:
“TÜV NORD aims to become a leading enabler for the use and development of AI.”
Turning such a vision into reality requires more than new tools. People also need the knowledge to work with new technologies and apply them in practice. One example is the TÜV NORD Academy. More than 12,000 seminar participants use learning formats such as AI and virtual reality there, including in collaboration with 3spin Learning.
This illustrates an important principle of modern talent development: transformation happens through the introduction of technology and by enabling people to learn how to work with it.
The more deeply AI becomes integrated into work and learning processes, the more important questions ofdata privacy, transparency, and trust become. At the LEF, Inga Dransfeld-Haase emphasized that these factors are more critical today than ever before.
This is particularly relevant for HR. Employees need to understand:
Alongside technological solutions, companies therefore also need a clear organizational and ethical framework.
To address this, the TÜV NORD GROUP adopted an AI manifesto in 2026. Its aim is to unlock the potential of artificial intelligence for employees, customers, and the entire group while at the same time ensuring that AI is used responsibly.
This is an important principle for any AI strategy. Governance should not prevent innovation. It should give people the confidence and security they need to experiment with innovation responsibly. Clear guardrails can reduce uncertainty and provide employees with guidance:
Ultimately, one question remains: What can HR and L&D do in concrete terms? One statement by Inga Dransfeld-Haase captures the evening’s discussion particularly well:
“We are not helpless. We are active shapers.”
This is precisely where a major opportunity for HR lies. Companies can create an environment in which people can become familiar with the technology, experiment with it, and develop the skills required to use it effectively. From our perspective, three things are particularly important:
However, companies should not overlook one important point. The more tasks AI takes over, the less sufficient it becomes to simply teach employees how to use AI tools. Leaders need to explain change. Teams need to negotiate new ways of working. Employees need to give feedback, resolve conflicts, communicate decisions, and bring people on board with change.
And this is exactly where we at 3spin Learning come in. With our AI soft skills training, employees and leaders can practice realistic conversational situations through AI role-plays, for example, employee conversations, feedback, conflict situations, change communication, or challenging customer interactions.
Instead of simply learning what they should do in a particular situation, participants have to respond themselves. They can try different approaches, receive personalized feedback, and repeat the situation, offering several advantages:
Conclusion
Inga Dransfeld-Haase's talk at the LEF showed that AI has already become part of everyday work. At the same time, new opportunities are emerging for learning, upskilling, and talent development. The key task now is to develop technology, skills, and trust together.
Or, to return once more to the central idea of the evening: We are not helpless. We are active shapers. And HR has the opportunity to play a central role in shaping this transformation.