Primary source BusinessArticle·22 September 2026·8 min read

In 46% of Companies, the CHRO Isn't in the Room

IBM's 2026 CHRO study quantifies what separates companies that turn AI into growth from those that turn it into cost-cutting.

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In 46% of Companies, the CHRO Isn't in the Room

Source : IBM Institute for Business Value · ibm.comView original ↗

In brief

IBM surveyed 1,500 CHROs and 8,800 employees in over 20 countries to figure out who actually captures the value of AI. The verdict: it's not the companies deploying the most AI, but those explicitly redrawing the line between human and machine decisions. Yet nearly half of CHROs aren't consulted when AI strategy is decided.

🍺 Bar-stool version

We spent three years wondering whether AI would replace people, and IBM shows up with a more awkward question: what do you actually do with the freed-up hours? Spoiler: in 58% of companies, nobody planned for it. They either get swallowed by more work or turned into savings, which is to strategy what eating standing up is to fine dining. Meanwhile, 60% of employees say their skills are quietly eroding — critical thinking topping the list. 🙂

Key takeaways

1
46% of organizations don't involve the CHRO when AI strategy is set, and 73% of CHROs struggle to align executive committee decisions with AI's impact on work.
2
Where the CHRO co-owns defining what stays human, 76% of organizations say employees feel free to challenge or override an AI recommendation, versus 43% when HR is only consulted.
3
29% of workflows already integrate AI agents, heading to 40% by 2028, but only 26% of companies clearly define what is human-led, AI-assisted, or AI-executed.
4
Skill erosion is the blind spot: 80% have a reskilling roadmap, but 60% of employees report a loss, with critical thinking leading the list.
5
Only 23% of organizations are increasing junior hiring, and just 7% cite entry-level talent as a segment being strengthened — the traditional path to expertise is closing.
6
Only 42% mainly reinvest AI productivity gains into innovation or training; 49% of leaders cite loss of employee trust as their top concern.
7
72% of organizations make limited or no use of AI within the HR function itself — the function meant to steer the change hasn't yet experienced it.

The thesis: the "Thinking Organization"

The IBM Institute for Business Value defines the "Thinking Organization" as a company that combines humans and AI to make better decisions, continuously adapts how work gets done, and converts freed-up capacity into growth.

The mandate nobody wants

The report's most striking finding: in nearly half of companies, the CHRO isn't in the room when AI strategy is decided.

Redesigning work, not org charts

29% of workflows already integrate AI agents, on track for 40% by 2028.

The blind spot: cognitive atrophy

This is the most interesting part of the report.

Where the gains go, and why HR must go first

"AI deployments always end up at the same question: where do the gains go?" Only 42% of organizations mainly redirect them toward innovation or training.

IBM's own experience, mistakes included

The most concrete part of the report comes from Nickle LaMoreaux, IBM's CHRO, on the AskHR program launched following the 2016 rollout.

Why it matters

This report matters beyond the HR circle because it shifts the question: it's no longer about how many jobs AI eliminates, but who decides what humans keep, and where the freed-up hours go.

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#ai #future of work #hr #ibm #study #ai agents

Original source

Designing the Thinking Organization — 2026 CHRO Study

IBM Institute for Business Value

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