Companies that fail to build a people-centred artificial intelligence strategy will lose half their top AI talent to competitors by 2027, according to new research from Gartner.

The warning, drawn from a survey of more than 12,000 employees and managers across 40 countries, signals an urgent challenge for chief human resources officers navigating workforce transformation amid rapid AI adoption.

Gartner identified four workforce dynamics that companies must address and placed CHROs at the centre of the solution.

The research firm's analysts identified the first challenge as most organisations measuring AI success the wrong way.

Executives are tracking hours saved, yet 19% of employees surveyed in the first quarter of 2026 reported no time savings at all.

Gartner found that employees who use AI across multiple workflows, nine to twelve distinct use cases, are 75% more likely to report high productivity, compared to just 15% among those using only one to three applications.

"The survey revealed that in the shift to an AI-powered workforce, most leaders are mistaking basic access or adoption metrics for transformation," said Swagatam Basu, Senior Director Analyst in the Gartner HR practice. "This 'enablement illusion' is hiding risks and draining ROI."

Gartner recommended CHROs implement what it calls a "True ROI Index," a framework focused on the depth and diversity of AI use rather than simple adoption counts.

Risks from shadow AI

A parallel threat is emerging through shadow AI, as 88% of employees with access to enterprise AI tools also use personal AI applications for work tasks.

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