The Josh Bersin Company

Today I’m publishing a bonus episode with a discussion of the US Job Market and also explain why Anthropic’s new AI-Job destruction research is misleading.

I also discuss the whole idea of “job-task analysis” and why “AI exposure” (Anthropic’s methodology) doesn’t really reflect how AI transforms jobs, companies, and the economy.

Let’s discuss all this at Irresistible 2026 or read my substack article on this topic and we can discuss there.

Like this podcast? Rate us on Spotify or Apple or YouTube.

Additional Information

New Anthropic Report on Job Destruction Is Misleading (article)

Anthropic Report (from Anthropic)

US consumer confidence plunges to 12-year low (Financial Times)

BLS Jobs Numbers

Join us in Irresistible 2026, June 8-10 at USC, the world’s leading conference for HR Leaders and Teams. (Here’s the top 10 reasons to come!)

 

 

Chapters

(00:00:00) - President Trump on the American Economy
(00:04:54) - On the Job Losses Due to AI
(00:13:02) - Robots and Repair People
(00:22:40) - Steve Jobs: Jobs to Change
(00:24:05) - The Super Worker and the Future of Healthcare Jobs

This week I tackle the situation where AI tools are exploding everywhere while ROI and economic productivity is hard to find. I also discuss the “commoditization” of AI “features” and the shift in value to “AI applications,” which is good for all corporate buyers and users.

You’ll understand how important it is to build a long term strategy, despite all the experiments going on (contact us to see our HR Blueprint).

I also discuss the Galileo Everywhere strategy and how we’ve been expanding Galileo to support employees and leaders, not just HR.

Remember to come to Irresistible 2026, the world’s leading conference for HR Leaders and Teams. (Here’s the top 10 reasons to come!)

Additional Information

Enterprise AI Architecture: Imperatives for 2026

New Research: How AI Transforms $400 Billion Of Corporate Learning

Webinar recording: Watch a replay of Josh’s walkthrough of the 11 essential imperatives HR & business leaders need to know for success and progress in 2026.

Josh Bersin Podcast: Listen in as Josh provides much-needed guidance for understanding the biggest HR transformation in decades.

Galileo Learn program: Complete The Superworker Organization: AI Goes Enterprise learning program, and discover the hands-on skills required to navigate the redefinition of work, HR teams, and organizations in the era of superworkers and superagents.

Get Galileo: The Enterprise AI Agent for HR and Leadership (check out Galileo for Consultants!)

Chapters

(00:00:00) - HR & AI: The Vendor Market
(00:03:54) - A message about Galileo and the HR Conference
(00:06:10) - The Return on Investment of AI
(00:17:47) - Where's the Return on Investment in Tech?

Understanding the Frontline Workforce. As our research point out, more than 70% of all US workers (80% Worldwide) work in a frontline (customer facing or operational facing) role. We all have teams in these positions so it’s important for business and HR leaders to understand this space.

This is the first podcast in a series with Josh Secrest, the head of marketing at Paradox, an innovative AI company that pioneered conversational recruiting from end to end.

Not only does Josh S. know a lot about the frontline, he has leadership roles at the National Restaurant Association and National Retail Federation, and also has experience leading talent management at McDonald’s and leading culture at Abercrombie.

Josh and I will be sharing a series of conversations to help you understand best-practices in high-volume recruiting, frontline workforce management, and the economics and financial business case for automation in this space.

This episode features a deep discussion on the critical role of frontline workers in the workforce, exploring how technology, management, and strategic support can transform frontline work environments. It highlights innovative practices and future trends in supporting frontline employees across retail, hospitality, and healthcare sectors.

Keywords
frontline workers, workforce strategy, HR technology, AI in HR, employee retention, frontline management, retail, hospitality, workforce support, digital transformation

Key topics
Importance of frontline workers
Impact of technology and AI on frontline support
Role of frontline managers in business success

Additional Information

Powering the Frontline Workforce: How Frontline-First Companies Thrive (research)

Josh Bersin Company Highlights Cost of Neglecting Frontline Workers (research)

An Exploration into the Frontline Workforce with Josh Bersin (video)

Tailor your HR and Management Programs for Frontline Work with Galileo, the Expert AI Agent for HR

Chapters

(00:00:03) - Josh Seacrest
(00:01:16) - Workers on the Frontline
(00:02:26) - The Power of a Front-Line Manager
(00:03:39) - The Impact of Frontline on Business
(00:05:37) - The Role of Frontline Workers
(00:11:59) - McDonald's On AI & The Future of Workforce
(00:14:46) - Backline Manager: The Future of Data-driven Business
(00:16:52) - Employee Care in the Future
(00:19:38) - Give Your Employees More Money
(00:21:23) - Fast Food On The Podcast
(00:22:30) - The New Talent: 711 and More
(00:25:48) - Josh on the Business of Segmentation

This week I discuss the real possibility that AI Agents could “turn evil” citing the example of Scott Shambaugh, a software engineer, who was attacked by an OpenClaw agent called MJ Rathbun.

Just so you understand: Scott is a real person but MJ Rathbun is an AI. Yet MJ took upon itself to openly attack Scott online, presumably for not accepting his open source code.

It’s a fascinating (ongoing) story, but it begs a bigger question: when a “human” (or agent) has total authority and power, does it then become evil? We saw this in the famous Stanford Prisoner Experiment, at Abu Ghraib, and in other examples I cite. Does this strange human nature translate directly into AI?

As you’ll hear, these new findings deliver many lessons for our corporate AI systems, and I explain how the issues of AI training, governance, and ethics become real. And this brings up the issue of AI regulation, legal accountability, and who is responsible for these behaviors.

Much of this is being played out in real time in the US War Department vs. Anthropic happening in the press as well.

Despite my most optimistic opinions about AI, “Power Corrupts” may be a statement that applies to AI just as it does to humans.

As AI becomes more embedded in enterprise decision-making, thoughtful governance, ethical design, and continuous monitoring become urgent.

Additional Resources

An AI Agent Published A Hit Piece on Me

The Rise of the Bratty Machines (NYT)

When AI Bots Start Bullying Humans, Even Silicon Valley Gets Rattled (WSJ)

BBC Finds That 45% of AI Queries Produce Erroneous Answers

Anthropic CEO says he’s sticking to AI “red lines” despite clash with Pentagon

OpenAI Steps Into The Breach in US War Department

 

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Could AI Agents Become Evil?
(00:11:11) - AI for Insurance Companies

Today I discuss the new economics of AI for us as business and HR leaders, and how this impacts vendors, HR buyers, IT, and investors. I also discuss how Agents, which are the new building blocks for our re-engineered companies, are now the nucleus of your world in HR going forward.

As I explain, this new world is clearly coming into focus but you need to prioritize your energies, and our Systemic HR AI Blueprint (explained) is here to help.

Stay tuned for a barrage of announcements about Galileo, which now has more than 1,100 enterprise customers. And please join our Pacesetters program so you can share your own company’s innovations and get recognition for all your company’s creation!

Also look at Galileo for Consultants, a new release of Galileo specifically designed for HR, organizational, leadership, and change consultants!  Galileo for Consultants includes a whole array of tools to help you with your career, business, and client projects. Galileo for Consultants (internal consultants too) will be invited to a special monthly webinar to talk about consulting projects, opportunities, and your consulting career.

Additional Information

Understanding NVIDIA’s Growth and Culture

Will Workday Thrive (or Survive) In The World of AI? (video)

Galileo for Consultants: Super-Powering Your Consulting Business

The World Is Accelerating: What Has Changed About Leadership?

Chapters

(00:00:00) - AI HR Blueprint and Irresistible
(00:00:25) - Galileo for Consultants: An Update
(00:02:52) - Nvidia's $120 Billion Profit
(00:08:28) - AI and HR Agents: Future of the HR Agent
(00:14:18) - The AI Agent Blueprint
(00:16:36) - AI Professional Development Conference Update