Employment and people practices are a key component of any organization's AI roadmap, and this will continue to increase in 2025. The workplace of the future will need to have the skills and resources to effectively implement and leverage the benefits of AI and leaders need to consider how the technology may reshape their talent planning.

A few new and continuing key trends we anticipate for 2025, include:

AI decision-making

Companies will need to manage potential legal risks and must carefully consider employment law and data protection implications across different jurisdictions, including AI bias and discrimination in a range of areas, including decision-making processes in recruitment and performance evaluations, and equality, diversity and inclusion impacts of use of AI in interactions with employees and customers. Companies need to ensure that privacy notices are fit for purpose and future proofed to address any automated processing, that policies reflect the process for decision-making and that employers understand the need for human check and balance and ownership of decisions. This can also be relevant in contentious scenarios as it is key that people give evidence on decision-making. 

Employees are using AI even where this is not led by the employer

Even where businesses do not have a proactive AI plan, staff are often experimenting with AI products themselves and engaging with them organically. There is a risk of inconsistent/inappropriate/unmonitored use of AI by staff. This could result in commercially or personally sensitive information being processed on AI software which is not controlled by or known by the employer. This risk can also arise in recruitment with candidates using AI during virtual interviews – employers should consider whether to permit this and design interviews with AI use in mind, or actively prohibit the use of AI and take steps to ensure it cannot be used to create an unfair advantage. Employers need to have updated policies and deliver training focusing on IT use/conduct/data protection policies and privacy notices to ensure appropriate limits, guidance and safeguards are in place.

Talent planning and skills gap risk

The prominence of AI means that different skills are valued and needed by many employers. Employees who can get the best out of AI are valuable and that may mean a change in recruitment, progression, development and training strategies at all levels. However, there is a growing risk that AI prominence results in employees missing out on core learning with a risk of a skills gap forming. Companies need to understand what skills are needed, appropriate use of AI and how to factor in this changing skills profile into performance management, recruitment and retention exercises. 

Download the full global AI trends report or navigate to our key areas listed below. Visit Dentons' AI: Global Solutions Hub for the latest legal insights, webinar recordings and regulatory overviews from around the world.

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• Our overview for 2025
• AI regulation, governance and ethics  
• Data privacy and cybersecurity
• AI projects and procurement
• IP protection and enforcement 
• Disputes and managing liability
• M&A and investments
• Competition and antitrust