AI, learning, and leadership: Expert insights from Dayforce Discover 2025

At Dayforce Discover 2025, the conversation centered on something deeper than technology itself: how people and AI can work together to unlock human potential and drive lasting impact. 

First, Dayforce leaders Amy Cappellanti-Wolf, Chief People Officer, and Carrie Rasmussen, Chief Digital Officer, shared how organisations can bridge adoption gaps and turn AI buzz into real business value. Then, keynote speaker Salman Khan, founder of Khan Academy, built on that foundation by showing how AI can transform learning, accelerate skills development, and scale human potential. 

Together, their sessions painted a clear picture about the future of work. It will be defined not by technology alone, but by how leaders guide people through change with purpose. 

From overload to impact 

Amy and Carrie opened with a challenge familiar to every HR and tech leader: How do we enable everyone in our organisation to participate in the AI journey? Research from the 16th Annual Pulse of Talent shows there’s more work to be done. Seventy-one percent of respondents said they haven’t received any AI training at work in the past year. But 63% of workers said it’s important for them to develop AI skills.  

That disconnect leaves many feeling excluded instead of empowered. Amy highlighted how Dayforce AI is helping shift that reality by automating repetitive tasks and surfacing mobility opportunities, freeing people to focus on meaningful work. Carrie added that the right technology should remove barriers, not add them. She pointed to tools like the Dayforce AI Assistant, which gives employees instant answers to HR questions, and AI Agents, which manage high-volume, repetitive tasks within the flow of work. 

The takeaway? Urgency without strategy creates chaos. But urgency with purpose, with people at the center, and supported by the right tools, creates impact. 

Scaling learning with purpose 

With that foundation set, Salman Khan took the stage to discuss how AI can reimagine learning. His starting point was simple — no two learners are alike, and traditional training models rarely meet everyone where they are. AI, he argued, can help deliver personalised support at scale by adapting to everyone’s pace, strengths, and challenges. 

Khan outlined how AI can bridge skills gaps by uncovering needs, offering adaptive challenges, and providing real-time coaching. It can help people feel seen.  

But he emphasized that technology alone isn’t the answer. AI shouldn’t replace everything and everyone else. It should be integrated with people. When technology is done right, humans can uplevel and do more critical and valuable work – the work they’re meant to do. 

He also underscored the importance of responsible adoption. Technology isn’t good or evil, he argued. It simply amplifies human intent. Leaders need to lean into the technology and amplify positive intent. Ultimately, Khan asserted that the most important application of artificial intelligence is increasing human intelligence. 

What this moment means for leaders 

Amy, Carrie, and Salman's insights echoed a shared vision: AI is most powerful when it amplifies people, not when it replaces them. 

For Amy and Carrie, that means HR and technology leaders partnering to close adoption gaps and give employees tools they can trust. For Salman, it means reimagining learning so every employee can grow. And all three shared the message that the future of work isn’t predetermined. Leaders have the chance — and the responsibility — to shape how AI transforms learning, work, and human potential. 

And that’s exactly what Dayforce Discover is about — leaving behind the buzz and growing with purpose.