LSU Research Insights: Shaping the Future of Work With AI That Elevates People
January 07, 2026
AI is dramatically changing the workplace and how we do our work, especially in areas such as automation, data analysis, content creation, and customer service. But how is AI adoption and application in the workplace changing our work experiences, reshaping learning, performance, and talent development?
2026 & Beyond
As we enter a new year of research and discoveries, our LSU experts are looking forward to the biggest challenges we will face and advances we can anticipate. What might our future look like, “soonish”? How can we help to shape the future we want to see?
In this Q&A, Sunyoung Park, an LSU researcher in human resource development, discusses how she sees AI changing organizational dynamics and the workplace in the near future, as well as how we study human resource development.
Park is a professor in the LSU School of Leadership & Human Resource Development and was one of six LSU faculty members named a 2023 Rainmaker for Research and Creative Activity.
“ Many employees are anxious and resistant toward AI-enabled changes in work processes; organizations will face change management challenges AI increasingly enters the workplace. ”
Sunyoung Park,
LSU professor and researcher
Where do you see your field going in the next 1-5 years?
Based on existing research and emerging trends, I expect that the field of human resource development (HRD) will increasingly focus on how AI can be integrated into learning and development systems, leadership development, work processes, performance support, and broader organizational transformation.
In 2026, we are likely to see a significant increase in AI-integrated practices across workplace learning and organizational contexts.
“ AI will not replace people. Instead, it will support human growth by helping us learn continuously, build strong leadership skills, and find meaningful work in a fast-changing world. ”
With regards to research in this field, I expect to see a deeper exploration of how employees and teams collaborate with AI, and how organizations can prepare their workforce for the AI era through systematic upskilling and reskilling initiatives.
The field will also shift toward data-informed decision-making, using AI-generated insights to support needs assessment, skill-gap identification, and organizational diagnosis.
At the same time, we will see heightened attention to AI ethics, fairness, and responsible use, as organizations grapple with concerns related to bias, privacy, transparency, and trust.
I see HRD research continuing to expand beyond conceptual work toward more empirical studies that examine the actual effectiveness, risks, and best practices for integrating AI into HRD and organizational contexts.
We will also see increasing attention to how AI techniques and machine learning can be incorporated into HRD research itself, enabling more sophisticated analysis, predictive modeling, and data-driven insights about employee development and organizational change.
What are some challenges you foresee in your field?
One of the most immediate challenges for HRD is ensuring that organizations adopt AI in a way that is ethical, transparent, and aligned with human-centered values. As AI increasingly supports training, coaching, performance assessments, and decision-making, HRD professionals must navigate concerns related to data privacy, algorithmic bias, and fairness.
Another challenge is helping employees and leaders build the AI literacy and related digital competencies necessary to work effectively with AI-oriented systems. Many HRD professionals themselves need additional support to interpret AI-generated insights and integrate new technologies into organizational practices.
Additionally, organizations will face change management challenges as employees experience anxiety or resistance toward AI-enabled changes in work processes. HRD will need to address these issues through thoughtful communication, capability building, and cultivation of trust and psychological safety in the workplace.
Where would you LIKE to see your field go in the next 1-5 years? What are some questions or avenues for research you think should get more attention in 2026?
I would like to see HRD evolve into a more human-centered, ethically grounded, and empirically rigorous field that leverages AI to elevate—not replace—human learning and growth. Research should more explicitly examine how AI affects employees’ well-being, emotional intelligence, creativity, and resilience—elements that are closely tied to human value and uniqueness.
As organizations adopt AI-enabled workflows, HRD needs to understand how people maintain autonomy and meaningful work in emerging work environments. Future research should also investigate human-AI collaboration, including how leaders develop competencies to guide teams that work alongside AI systems. I also hope to see more work on AI adoption and application in international HRD contexts, since different cultural contexts may experience AI’s benefits and risks differently.
What are you most excited about in terms of research and discoveries in your field in 2026?
I am most excited about the potential for AI-enabled personalization and augmentation to transform how people learn and develop in their workplaces. AI-driven coaching, adaptive learning systems, and intelligent feedback tools can make development more accessible, scalable, and tailored to individual needs.
I am also enthusiastic about the growing interest in organizational analytics and AI-supported diagnosis, which will enable HRD professionals to more accurately identify learning needs, monitor team dynamics, and anticipate capability gaps.
Another promising area is the integration of generative AI into reflective practice, knowledge creation, and leadership development, helping individuals engage more deeply with learning, unlearning, and sensemaking processes. Together, these innovations open new opportunities to explore how HRD can support human flourishing in AI-enabled workplaces.
What do you wish more people knew about your area of research and its implications?
I wish more people understood that HRD is fundamentally about developing human potential and creating the conditions for individuals and organizations to learn, change, and thrive.
HRD research provides evidence-based insights into how people acquire new skills, adapt to technological change, build meaningful careers, and contribute to organizational effectiveness. As AI becomes more embedded in work systems, HRD’s role becomes even more essential in helping organizations and employees balance technological advancement with human needs, ensuring that learning, ethics, inclusion, and well-being remain central to the transformation.
I also wish more people recognized the interdisciplinary nature of HRD, which opens extensive possibilities for collaboration and partnership across fields such as higher education, information studies, construction management, and intercultural communication.
This interdisciplinarity enables HRD researchers and practitioners to address some of the most complex questions about the future of work, human capability, and responsible technology use.
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