Field Notes from Transform 2026: What Leaders Are Figuring Out About AI

Summary: At Transform 2026, leaders weren’t short on ideas. They were working to answer a simpler, harder question: what should actually change on my team this week? A few clear signals emerged: Most organizations are figuring this out as they go. “AI fluency” is often unclear in practice. AI is exposing gaps in leadership, systems, and decision-making. The real need isn’t more tools, it’s clearer direction and better change management.

There’s no shortage of conversation about AI right now. What’s harder to find is a clear sense of what should actually change on your team because of it.

That was the throughline at Transform 2026,  one of the largest HR future-of-work conferences.

Most teams are in motion. They’re experimenting, testing tools, and trying to keep up. But there’s still a gap between the big ideas and what that means for day-to-day work.

At our Post-Transform Playback: Trends, Truth Bombs & Takeaways event, panelist Diane Sadowski-Joseph of Clarinet, described the vibe like this: 

“Everyone is kind of sitting in the soup.”

It fits. You can see a few steps ahead, but not the full path yet. And that uncertainty is starting to wear on people.

Field Notes from Transform 2026

If you missed Transform, or just want the signals leaders are paying attention to, here’s what stood out most from our panelists, Diane and our CPO Stephanie Schuier.

Field Note #1: The energy was real, but so was the ambiguity 

There’s real curiosity and momentum around AI. People are paying attention, trying tools, and looking for ways to move faster.

At the same time, many conversations kept circling back to the same place: 

“What does that actually look like for us?”

Leaders care. They’re just working to connect big ideas to the realities of their teams.

Field Note #2: “Be AI fluent” is showing up as a request, not a strategy

Many teams are being asked to experiment more and build AI fluency. But often, that’s where the guidance stops.

One example that came up: teams being told to “integrate AI into your role” without clarity on what that means in practice.

It leaves managers in a tough spot, trying to interpret the ask on their own. Without a shared definition of what “good” looks like, progress becomes uneven or slow.

Field Note #3: This is a DIY moment for most organizations

One thing that stood out to Diane was the absence of major AI players at the conference.

The signal is that organizations are expected to figure this out themselves. There isn’t a shared playbook yet. You could hear it in side conversations:

“What are you trying?”
“What’s actually working?”

It feels less like a coordinated shift and more like a collection of experiments happening side by side.

Field Note #4: AI is amplifying what’s already there

AI makes broken systems more visible. 

As Stephanie put it: “It’s amplifying issues across the org… especially as it relates to how we’re investing in our people.”

Teams that already struggle with clarity, delegation, or decision-making are feeling that more now. Because when output speeds up, the need for good judgment increases right along with it.

Field Note #5: The real gap is change management (not tools)

Many organizations are treating AI like a tool rollout. But this is a shift in how work gets done: how decisions are made, how people collaborate, and how managers lead through uncertainty.

One moment captured the gap clearly. After a company told employees they were expected to be “AI fluent,” they were asked:

“What change management are you putting in place?”

The response: “What changed?”

That disconnect shows up more often than you’d expect.

Field Note #6: People are ready for something more concrete

There’s no shortage of ideas. If anything, that’s part of the challenge.

As Diane shared: “Now there’s nothing but ideas on how to use AI… the question is how do I decide?”

Leaders have inspiration — now they need clearer ways to prioritize and move.

So what do you do with all of that?

Of Transform 2026, Stephanie put it simply: “I wanted more… less conceptually… and more like, here’s how you actually take the first step on Tuesday or Wednesday when you’re back in your office.”

That’s the gap. If you’re leading a team right now, you may be looking for that next step, too. 

So we created a simple way to start.

The Tuesday Test

Before you roll out a new AI tool or launch a big initiative, pause and pressure-test a few things:

1. Can you clearly explain why you’re using AI at all? What problem are you trying to solve in your context, not in general?
2. Do your managers know what’s expected to change? “Use AI more” isn’t very helpful. What decisions, workflows, or habits should look different?
3. Where is AI already showing up in your team’s work? If it’s nowhere yet, that’s useful to know. It means you’re still at the starting line.
4. Where do you need stronger judgment, not just faster output? More speed means more choices. That raises the bar for decision-making. It can also make it easier to move quickly in the wrong direction.
5. Have you made space for people to say what feels unclear or risky? If no one’s naming concerns, it doesn’t mean they’re not there.

One step forward

If some of these answers aren’t clear yet, that’s not a red flag. It’s where most teams are right now.

You don’t need a full strategy this week. You need one clear answer to this question:

What’s one way we expect work to look different because of AI?

Start there. Try it. Adjust.

That’s how leaders and teams are beginning to find their way out of the soup.

If you want to go deeper, here are two places to start:

• Listen to the Post-Transform Playback: Trends, Truth Bombs & Takeaways for a few more steps forward, like evaluating your current AI fluency across teams, existing workflows, and capabilities, and identifying gaps in skills. 

• Explore our AI for HR content hub for tools, insights, and strategies to help you navigate AI adoption

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