Analyses & Studies • Partners
Empowering Employees in the Age of AI
Insights from Professor Olga Kokshagina, EDHEC Business School, and Diane Mullenex, Global Head of Telecom at Pinsent Masons
In 2025, AI is likely to remain a prominent buzzword, and for good reason. To explore how it is transforming the nature of work, EDHEC Business School was proud to host the French Chamber of Great Britain’s first HR Club session of the year at its London research campus. The theme, "Empowering Employees: AI Integration and Upskilling for Everyone," set the stage for an engaging and forward-looking discussion.
Organised with the support of Audrey Haverkamp, EDHEC's Country Manager for the UK & Ireland, the event was chaired by Pia Dekkers, Former HR Director at Chanel UK, and Melanie Stancliffe, Partner at Cripps. It featured two prominent experts from the academic and corporate worlds:
- Professor Olga Kokshagina, EDHEC Business School and Member of EDHEC’s Foresight, Innovation and Transformation Chair.
- Diane Mullenex, Partner and Global Head of Telecom, Gaming, and Gambling Practices at Pinsent Masons LLP.
Together, they demystified the 4th wave of AI, exploring the opportunities and challenges that generative AI presents for the modern workplace.
The Metamorphosis of Work: You Will Not Be Replaced by AI, but by Someone Who Knows How to Use AI and Excels in Interpersonal Skills
Professor Olga Kokshagina opened the session by discussing the possibilities of how AI might influence roles, emphasizing that it could replace, augment, or transform them. While there is a probability that certain jobs, such as translators, copyeditors, and content creators, might experience some level of replacement, it is more likely that many roles will evolve or be augmented rather than entirely displaced.
Diane Mullenex succinctly summarised this idea: “You will not be replaced by AI, but by someone who knows how to use AI.” She urged the HR professionals in the audience to encourage employees to actively engage with AI, stating, “The better they engage with AI, the better they will understand it and leverage its potential.”
Professor Olga Kokshagina emphasised that while AI excels in narrowly defined tasks and can often outperform humans in specific, well-structured areas, it falls short when faced with ambiguity and uncertain situations. This highlights the unique strengths humans bring to the table, such as social skills, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking—capabilities that are becoming increasingly vital in the future labour market. Building on this point, Diane Mullenex highlighted a key insight from Pinsent Masons’ internal studies: senior professionals with expertise in crafting effective prompts are especially well-equipped to leverage AI’s full potential.
The Need for a Clear Roadmap, Better Training, and Collective Learning
Despite reports that 60% of employees are using AI, Professor Olga Kokshagina highlighted a concerning gap: only 10% of companies have made substantial investments in AI solutions (source: EDHEC Vox). This highlights the urgent need for better digital literacy (source: Conseil national du numerique) and a deeper organisational understanding of AI tools.
The key recommendations shared by Professor Olga and Diane included:
- AI Development Roadmap: Identify priorities and focus on key HR use cases such as performance reviews, training, onboarding, hiring, and career development.
- Training Programs: Provide foundational AI knowledge for all employees while fostering critical thinking skills. It is essential to develop a shared digital culture, to make new technologies the subject of research and questioning. In this respect, teaching the history of science and technology is fundamental to understanding the transformations of contemporary societies. Training should also address data privacy, ensuring employees avoid disclosing confidential client information.
- Ambassador Roles: Partner with IT departments to create internal AI champions who can lead adoption efforts and build communities for collective learning. Collaboration between HR and IT is crucial.
- Flexible Policies: Address employees’ concerns directly and establish adaptable guidelines for responsible AI use as the workplace continues to evolve.
Addressing Technostress: Balancing Productivity and Well-Being
While much of the session focused on AI's impact on structures, roles, collaboration and information flows, Professor Olga also brought attention to its effects on health and well-being. She discussed technostress, a growing challenge where technology meant to empower employees can paradoxically overwhelm them.
This autonomy paradox, where tools designed to provide flexibility instead lead to stress, highlights the need for thoughtful implementation of AI solutions. Addressing this issue in depth would require a dedicated session (source: Sage Journals).
Resources and Closing Remarks
The session concluded with a strong message: while AI is undoubtedly transforming the workplace, it’s human adaptability, creativity, and emotional intelligence that will remain critical for success in the AI-driven era.
For those keen to continue exploring these topics, don’t miss these resources recommended by Professor Olga Kokshagina: