Talent acquisition looks nothing like it did a couple of years ago. A new Korn Ferry report says AI is the headline—84 percent of talent leaders plan to use it next year—but it’s only one piece of the 2026 puzzle. The bigger challenge is connecting AI, skills, leadership pipelines, and workplace policies into a strategy that actually works.

The talent acquisition (TA) space looks nothing like it did even a couple of years ago. AI is the big story—84 percent of talent leaders plan to use it next year—but that’s just one piece of the 2026 TA puzzle, according to Korn Ferry 2026 Talent Trends Report. “We need to embrace AI but not lose sight of the bigger picture,” said Jeanne MacDonald, Korn Ferry’s CEO of Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO). Talent acquisition is about people—and human intelligence will always be the differentiator.”

The other challenges facing TA leaders are just as important, according to the Korn Ferry report. “Leadership pipelines are fragile, skills priorities need realigning, and workplace policies are creating friction,” it said. “It’s a lot to navigate. And while everyone’s focused on which AI tools to buy, the more interesting question is how to make all these pieces fit together.”

The study points to AI agents, as an example. Companies are rushing to add them to teams, but most leaders have no idea how to manage mixed human-AI workforces. And consider skills. “CEOs are hard focused on AI tech expertise, but talent leaders know critical thinking is what’s needed to deliver successful change,” the Korn Ferry report said. “TA sits at the center of all these shifts. And talent leaders who see the bigger picture are becoming indispensable to their organizations.”

Korn Ferry offers six TA trends driving talent acquisition in 2026.

Trend 1: Your Next Hire Might Not Be Human.

In 2026, the Korn Ferry report said that you’ll be sourcing talent that never sleeps, never takes vacation—but will sometimes frustratingly refuse to work properly. Unlike the AI tools we’re all familiar with, these “AI agents” act pretty much autonomously, performing tasks and functions without the need for constant prompts. And 52 percent of talent leaders are planning to add them to their teams in 2026.

“AI agents are evolving beyond being helpful assistants,” the Korn Ferry report found. “They’re becoming real teammates with their own identities, access permissions, and responsibilities. Teams of the future will soon include both humans and AI agents working side by side.”

“This isn’t some distant future scenario,” said Bryan Ackermann, head of AI strategy & transformation, managing partner, assessment & succession, leadership & professional development. “HR vendors are already creating employee records for AI agents. Microsoft is issuing them security IDs. The infrastructure for human-AI teams is being built right now.”

Trend 2: Think First, ChatGPT Later.

CEOs and board directors are laser-focused on AI and they’re demanding AI skills, AI certifications, AI proficiency, AI everything, according to the Korn Ferry report. Conversely, 73 percent of TA leaders say the skill they actually need the most in 2026 is…critical thinking and problem-solving. What about AI skills? That ranks fifth.

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