by Andrew Bercich, SummitWorX Solutions and Erica Greeley, National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB)
A Moment of Transformation
The pace of technological change has never been faster, and few innovations have reshaped our world as quickly as generative artificial intelligence (AI). From automating complex data analysis to producing text, images, and code, generative AI is transforming how people learn, communicate, and create.
For the workforce development system, this transformation presents both profound challenges and once-in-a-generation opportunities. As a system, we look to balance concerns about labor arbitrage and privacy, with the advantages of having the knowledge of the best professionals in every field at our fingertips.
As workforce boards navigate declining funding, increasing demand for services, greater policy uncertainty and a labor market undergoing structural change, generative AI offers not just new tools but a new way of thinking about how we serve communities, employers, and jobseekers.
Disruption and the Entry Level Challenge
The impacts of AI are already being felt across the labor market, particularly in entry-level and routine roles that once served as critical gateways for young workers.
A 2025 study from the Brookings Institution found that 85% of the U.S. workforce could see at least 10% of their tasks affected by generative AI, and 30% of workers could have 50% or more of their tasks affected.
While these shifts raise understandable concern about job loss, they also point to a larger evolution in how work is done. The U.S. Census Bureau’s Business Trends and Outlooks Survey (BTOS) shows that 12% of businesses expect that generative AI will impact employment numbers, but interestingly, slightly more of those businesses expect employment to increase more than decrease. New opportunities are emerging in AI quality assurance, data annotation, prompt design, model training, and digital content management all of which depend on human judgment and creativity. But any change in employment, either increased reductions in staff or changing skills requirements, puts additional pressure on our system.
Entry-level work has long been the foundation for skill development, social capital, and career mobility. A recent study by Stanford University found that employment declined ~13% for workers aged 22 – 25 in “AI-exposed” occupations. If those entry points decrease and training providers must find new ways to prepare individuals for the roles that AI will augment, not replace. Boards will need to find new ways of engaging with these less experienced workers that need early-career opportunities to develop not just technical skills, but the core employability skills needed to be an effective worker in any organization or environment.
The challenge—and opportunity—is to ensure that equitable access, inclusion, and skill relevance remain at the center of this change.
For workforce boards themselves, generative AI offers an unexpected silver lining, a lifeline amid tightening budgets, growing demand for services, and an evolving labor market that increasingly values skills-based hiring. The productivity impact is measurable. PwC’s 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer found that industries most exposed to AI experienced a fourfold increase in productivity growth, jumping from roughly 7% to 27% as adoption accelerated. Likewise, Goldman Sachs estimates that AI could increase global GDP by 7% while transforming or augmenting about 300 million jobs worldwide.
Generative AI As a Strategic Lifeline
AI tools can streamline administrative work by speeding up reporting and documentation. They can support data-driven decision-making by modeling the impact of a proposed board policy change, and they can enhance communication with both employers and job seekers by allowing more personalization and contextualization in messaging.
Boards that are further on their AI journey are using it to assist with program design, grant writing and supporting One-Stop compliance and monitoring. Generative AI can draft outreach materials, summarize case notes, aid in interview preparation, and even help tailor resumes or job recommendations for participants. Nearly every aspect of a workforce operation has the capability to receive a productivity boost from AI if we have the right mindset to adopt and implement the technology in the right way.
“AI is not a tool, but a whole new way of working. It’s one of the most important things that leaders need to think about in this AI transformation… a mind shift.” – Matthew Duncan, Head of Thought Leadership on the Future of Work, Microsoft
For boards facing tough tradeoffs, generative AI represents a way to do more with less, without compromising mission or impact and potentially delivering deeper impact when used effectively and responsibly. By leveraging AI strategically and ethically, workforce boards can shift capacity from routine tasks to higher-value human services: coaching, relationship-building, and program innovation.
Building Capacity: A New Commitment from NAWB
Recognizing this critical juncture, NAWB is taking bold steps to help the system not just adapt to AI but lead in its responsible use.
In the coming months, NAWB will launch a suite of initiatives designed to build AI capacity across the national workforce system, including:
These initiatives will help workforce leaders understand what AI can do and how to do it right. Together with SummitWorX Solutions, NAWB is committed to ensuring that this evolution strengthens local boards’ capacity, rather than widening existing resource divides.
A Call to Action for Workforce Leaders
This is a defining moment for the public workforce system. Generative AI will not wait for us to catch up, and the cost of inaction is high.
Workforce boards are uniquely positioned to translate innovation into inclusion. By combining their deep community connections with the transformative potential of generative AI, they can redesign service delivery, improve equity, and equip America’s workers for an economy where human and digital collaboration define success.
As we began this post, the pace of change has never been faster, and the truth is, it will never be this slow again. By embracing this moment with purpose, strategy, and ethical commitment, workforce boards can ensure that AI becomes not a threat, but a tool for renewal, resilience, growth, and expanded opportunity.
About the Authors
SummitWorX Solutions partners with workforce boards, educational institutions, and public agencies to design forward-looking strategies for talent, technology, and community impact. SummitWorX Solutions’ Founder and CEO, Andrew Bercich, is the former Head of Talent Acquisition for Amazon’s Alexa and Artificial General Intelligence (Gen AI) organizations and is Past–Chair of NAWB.
The National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) represents and advocates for more than 550 workforce development boards nationwide. Under the leadership of Acting CEO, Erica Greeley, who previously served as Vice President of Economic Mobility at Feeding America, and earlier held nonprofit leadership roles supporting networks, systems-change and economic opportunity, NAWB is deepening its focus on innovation, collaboration, and the responsible use of technology to strengthen the nation’s workforce ecosystem.
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