Vol. 2 No. 1 (2027): AI Literacy, Workforce Learning, and Human–AI Futures
Articles

Talent deployment and workforce readiness in the AI era

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  • William Rothwell,
  • Azza Al Hajri
William Rothwell
Penn State University
DOI: https://doi.org/10.46787/ijaipil.v2i1.7492

Published 2026-05-16 — Updated on 2026-05-18

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Keywords

  • talent deployment, internal mobility, succession readiness, workforce planning

How to Cite

Rothwell, W., & Al Hajri, A. (2026). Talent deployment and workforce readiness in the AI era. International Journal of AI in Pedagogy, Innovation, and Learning Futures, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.46787/ijaipil.v2i1.7492 (Original work published May 16, 2026)

Copyright (c) 2026 William Rothwell

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Talent deployment is an ongoing, evidence-based process that tracks and aligns role requirements, assesses how well people fit their roles, measures their tenure in those roles, evaluates their skills, and identifies their options for moving within the organization. This paper provides practical guidance on how organizations can implement talent deployment as a disciplined approach for strengthening internal mobility, succession readiness, and workforce capability. The paper develops a conceptual framework by integrating prior research, practitioner literature, and established human resource models related to talent deployment, internal mobility, skills management, and succession planning. Talent deployment redefines workforce readiness by making succession and retention a continuous practice that ensures skills, readiness, and mobility are effectively managed and monitored as core components of organizational resilience. In the artificial intelligence (AI) era, talent deployment functions, including skills mapping, workforce analytics, and internal mobility decisions, can be supported by intelligent systems to improve effectiveness and efficiency. The paper also provides actionable guidance for establishing a talent deployment program, including step-by-step implementation principles, policy and governance considerations, and strategies for managing risks associated with workforce movement. As a conceptual paper, the proposed framework is not empirically tested and may require contextual adaptation based on organizational size, sector, and workforce maturity. Future empirical research is therefore needed to validate the framework and examine its implementation across different organizational contexts.

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