The Josh Bersin Company Podcast By Josh Bersin cover art

The Josh Bersin Company

The Josh Bersin Company

By: Josh Bersin
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Insider Insights on Corporate Talent, Learning, and HR Technology, with analyst perspectives, executive interviews, and in-depth vendor analysis.© 2025 JOSH BERSIN Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • How ServiceNow Is Building the Agentic Future of HR
    Apr 3 2026

    What does it look like when one of the world’s most innovative tech companies decides to write the playbook for agentic HR — from the inside? Brandon Roberts, Global VP of People Product, Analytics and AI at ServiceNow, joins Kathi Enderes for a conversation that crackles with real-world urgency and hard-won insight.

    Under the bold leadership of CHRO Jacqui Canney – whose title as Chief People and AI Transformation Officer signals just how seriously ServiceNow is taking this moment – Brandon and his team have made a defining bet: empower every HR professional to experiment with AI, then ruthlessly prioritize based on value and feasibility.

    The results are already turning heads. When an HR Business Partner came forward with an idea, it didn’t disappear into a committee. It became a live capability: HRBPs now work alongside a people data agent paired with Galileo, giving them real-time internal workforce data fused with external benchmarks, case studies, and research insights, all available in the moment a business conversation demands an answer. This is what it means to bring consulting-grade intelligence into the flow of work.

    But Brandon’s story doesn’t stop inside HR. ServiceNow is also asking its HR team to do something far bigger: help lead the entire company’s AI transformation. That means building workforce AI capabilities and readiness at scale, redesigning jobs and work across the firm as AI reshapes what every role requires and writing the organizational playbook for AI adoption that others can follow. It is a mandate that puts HR squarely at the center of enterprise strategy, moving from support function to transformation driver.

    Brandon’s own career arc captures this shift. His role evolved from a focus on people analytics – historically centered on reporting and data analysis – into enabling the business to use insights about people and organizations to make better decisions and drive better outcomes, all powered by AI. The people analytics function didn’t shrink but grew in strategic weight and importance.

    This conversation is a must-listen for anyone trying to understand what agentic HR actually looks like in practice at one of the fastest-moving companies on the planet.

    Additional Information

    Podcast: Jacqui Canney, ServiceNow CHRO, Demystifies AI Transformation

    Article: The Great Reinvention of Human Resources Has Begun

    Research: The Superworker Organization: AI Goes Enterprise

    Get Galileo: The World’s AI Superagent for HR

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    25 mins
  • Why Being "Laid Off" By An AI Agent Could Be A Good Thing
    Apr 2 2026

    Today, as we read more stories about various layoffs (often using AI as an explanation), I’d like to suggest a big idea. AI Agents, defined as “Talent Redeployment Agents,” may be one of the most powerful new use-cases for AI in HR.

    No I’m not talking about AI randomly selecting people and zapping them by email based on financial results (that could happen I suppose), but something much bigger. Listen in as I explain how the “decoupling” of workers from their employers has led to a new era of dynamic employee redeployment, which is only possible with AI.

    We’re deep into studying these Superagent use-cases in companies around the world so if this conversation gets you excited (I think it will), please get hold of us we’d like to explain more.

    Additional Information

    Should an AI Agent Be Able To Fire You? Yes, And It’s Likely To Go Well.

    Gloat Enters The Crowded War For AI Agents in HR

    Why AI Is A Massive Job-Creation Technology, Despite What You Think

    Be Careful With The Layoffs

    Get Galileo, the AI Superagent for HR

    Chapters
    • (00:00:00) - The Way Companies Are Layoff
    • (00:09:18) - The AI Talent Mobility Agent
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    12 mins
  • What Does "AI-Literacy" Really Mean?
    Mar 28 2026

    Today I want to give you a peek into the huge topic of “building AI literacy.” We work with hundreds of companies and vendors that offer many types of training so I wanted to give you an overview.

    This is a fast-changing topic because there’s a raging debate about what “skills” AI users need (ie. complex thinking? business acumen?). I do know AI learns from language so if you can’t put your needs or wishes into logical statements, you won’t get the most out of AI. But, as I explain, there are a range of other issues as well.

    I also discuss how we teach people about bias, risk, auditability, data quality, tuning, and how “vibe coding” is a bit more complex than you think.

    If you’re really stumped about how to use AI in your work, I urge you to get Galileo, our AI Agent specifically designed for HR, business leaders, and human capital consultants. It includes 400+ reusable workflows to get you started and an entire library of 700+ courses on various AI and HR topics.

    We have received a spectacular group of AI Pacesetter applications and many explain how a particular company built AI literacy in detail. Come to Irresistible 2026 (June 8-10 in LA) to get the details.

    (Check out the US Department of Labor’s AI-Ready Initiative too.)

    Chapters
    • (00:00:00) - Advocacy of AI literacy
    • (00:01:26) - Six Rules of AI Training
    • (00:08:53) - Pacesetter: Trust, Security, and Legal Risk
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    15 mins
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Amazing content from a true thought leader in Learning and Design, Talent, reskilling and leadership.

Excellent Podcast series

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