Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how work gets done. From automating administrative tasks to augmenting decision-making, AI has introduced efficiencies that organizations once only imagined. Yet this transformation comes with an unintended consequence: the erosion of entry-level roles that have traditionally served as the foundation for workforce development.
Members of the Senior Executive HR Think Tank warn that if organizations fail to rethink how early career talent is cultivated, they risk creating a leadership vacuum in the years ahead. The concern is not hypothetical. A 2026 ForbesWomen feature highlights how AI is not only reducing demand for junior roles but also eliminating the training ground those roles once provided, as entry-level jobs disappear alongside critical early-career learning.
The challenge for business leaders is clear: How can companies embrace AI without dismantling the very systems that produce future leaders? According to HR Think Tank experts, the answer lies not in resisting automation but in intentionally redesigning the pathways that develop talent.
“HR people have the responsibility to call out lazy belt-tightening approaches that ignore long-term talent needs.”
Short-Term Cuts, Long-Term Consequences
Steve Degnan, Advisor, Board Member, Former CHRO, brings decades of experience leading human resources at one of the world’s largest food and pet food companies. Having navigated multiple economic cycles, he cautions against repeating a familiar mistake: sacrificing early career hiring in the name of efficiency.
“I lived through eras when we stopped college recruiting due to budget cuts, and every time it was done, there was regret,” Degnan says. “Eliminating entry-level roles is being blamed on AI right now, but I am not so sure it’s always a valid claim.”
Degnan argues that organizations often conflate technological advancement with cost-cutting opportunities, overlooking the long-term implications. “HR people have the responsibility to call out lazy belt-tightening approaches that ignore long-term talent needs,” he says.
His perspective aligns with broader workforce research. Harvard Business Review warns that replacing entry-level roles with AI may weaken organizations’ ability to develop future leaders by removing critical early-career learning opportunities.
Degnan emphasizes that AI should prompt reinvention—not elimination—of entry-level work. “HR Executives must insist that new roles are designed in ways that protect the future of the organization as real automation is implemented,” he says. “There is plenty of new work to do in curating, managing and auditing the new AI technology.”
In other words, the issue is not a lack of work—it is a lack of imagination in redefining it.
Redesigning Pathways, Not Removing Them
Nicole Cable, Chief People and Experience Officer at Blue Zones Health, a company focused on helping people live longer through evidence-based health and wellness strategies, frames the issue as a strategic imperative rather than a workforce dilemma.
“Organizations cannot automate their way out of developing talent,” Cable says. “If entry-level roles disappear, so does the pipeline that builds future leaders.”
Cable stresses that the conversation must shift from job replacement to pathway creation. “The question is not just what work AI replaces, but what pathways we are creating in its place,” she says.
That shift requires deliberate design. “Companies have a responsibility to redesign how early career talent is developed,” Cable explains. “That means creating structured learning experiences, rotational exposure, apprenticeships and real opportunities to build judgment, not just complete tasks.”
Her insights align with a World Economic Forum analysis. The report found that entry-level job postings in the U.S. have declined by 35% in just 18 months, largely due to AI adoption, raising concerns about the long-term talent pipeline.
Cable also advises against assuming talent will automatically materialize later in the pipeline. “We cannot expect experienced talent to appear if we stop investing at the beginning,” she says. “AI should accelerate capability, not eliminate opportunity.”
Ultimately, Cable frames talent development as a business decision with long-term consequences. “Developing the next generation is not optional,” she says. “It is a long-term business decision.”
“Gen Z and career changers, particularly those without elite networks or credentials, depend on entry-level access to build foundational judgment and economic mobility.”
Efficiency Without Equity Is Not Progress
Christopher Bylone, Principal Strategist at Innovation Unbiased, a consultancy focused on building inclusive workplace cultures through data-driven strategies, highlights a critical but often overlooked dimension of AI adoption: equity.
“Automating entry-level roles without rebuilding pathways is not efficiency,” Bylone says. “It is institutionalized inequity.”
Bylone points out that entry-level roles have historically served as access points for individuals without elite credentials or networks. “Gen Z and career changers, particularly those without elite networks or credentials, depend on entry-level access to build foundational judgment and economic mobility,” he explains. “When that access closes, opportunity does not redistribute—it concentrates.”
Business Insider reports that AI is contributing to a “broken career ladder,” with fewer entry-level roles available and employers increasingly favoring experienced talent over new graduates.
Bylone urges organizations to take intentional action. “Organizations are responsible for designing intentional apprenticeship structures, accessible transition pathways and development frameworks that do not mistake automation capability for human potential,” he says.
His warning is direct and unequivocal: “Efficiency without equity is not progress. It is exclusion with better technology.”
“Rather than protecting younger employees from AI, they’re positioning them as internal educators, bridging the gap between emerging tools and experienced teams.”
Turning Gen Z Into a Strategic Advantage
Aida Figuerola, Neuropsychologist at Lift, challenges the prevailing narrative that Gen Z is at risk of being displaced by AI. Instead, she positions this generation as a critical asset in navigating technological change.
“The conversation around AI replacing entry-level roles misses a crucial point: Gen Z isn’t the vulnerable party here—they’re the asset,” Figuerola says. “As the first truly digitally native generation, Gen Z intuitively understands technology in ways that took others decades to learn.”
Instead of shielding younger workers from AI, Figuerola says companies should elevate them. “Smart organizations are already recognizing this: Rather than protecting younger employees from AI, they’re positioning them as internal educators, bridging the gap between emerging tools and experienced teams.”
However, this approach requires cultural change at the top. “The real challenge lies elsewhere: in senior leaders who resist learning AI—and more tellingly, resist being taught by someone younger,” she says. “That reluctance is where organizational growth stalls.”
Figuerola emphasizes that collaboration, not hierarchy, will define future success. “The most resilient companies will be those that dismantle generational silos entirely,” she says. “When digital fluency meets institutional wisdom, that’s where genuine innovation happens.”
What Forward-Thinking Leaders Must Do Now
- Protect the pipeline before it disappears. Cutting entry-level roles may deliver short-term savings, but it creates long-term leadership gaps that are difficult and costly to fix.
- Redesign early career development intentionally. Build structured programs—apprenticeships, rotations and learning pathways—that develop judgment alongside technical skills.
- Leverage Gen Z as a strategic advantage. Position digitally native employees as AI champions and internal educators to accelerate adoption across the organization.
- Embed equity into workforce transformation. Ensure automation does not eliminate access for underrepresented or nontraditional talent by creating inclusive pathways into the workforce.
The Future of Talent Depends on Today’s Decisions
AI is not the first force to reshape work, but it may be the most consequential in how quickly it is redefining entry-level roles. As HR Think Tank members make clear, the responsibility does not lie in slowing technological progress—it lies in ensuring that progress does not come at the expense of future talent.
Organizations that succeed will be those that treat talent development as a strategic priority, not a byproduct of operational design. By reimagining entry points, embracing generational collaboration and committing to equitable access, leaders can build a workforce that is not only more efficient but also more resilient.
