In a year defined by sovereign AI and data, one truth has become unavoidable: humans will matter more than ever. Even the most ambitious AI strategies will stall if organizations fail to invest in their people.

More than 95% of enterprises worldwide now say they want to operate as their own AI and data platforms within the next 850 working days. It’s a stunning recognition from C-suite leaders across 13 countries representing a combined GDP of $48 trillion – and a signal of how rapidly the world is shifting. IDC estimates this transition could generate $17 trillion in GDP growth, effectively creating the world’s third-largest economy if counted as a country.

Yet despite this massive ambition, only 13% of more than 134,000 major enterprises are getting it right.

These early leaders have made AI and data sovereignty a mission-critical priority. Their infrastructure allows intelligence to be accessed securely – anywhere, anytime, and in any form. The results speak for themselves: they see 5x higher ROI than the rest, with 2x more GenAI and agentic systems deployed in mainstream production. They are also 250% more confident in their ability to thrive long term.

Enterprises such as Abbott, AIA Singapore, Aviva India, Boston Scientific, Danske Bank, ENOC, JP Morgan Chase, Mastercard, Singtel, Wells Fargo, Toyota, and others are already proving what scaled success looks like.

But this transformation is not a push-button upgrade. Digital transformation took nearly a decade. The AI and data revolution may peak in just three to four years, and its impact could far surpass anything seen before.

That is why the defining question of the next era is not purely technological. Sovereign AI will rise or fall on human readiness. Organizations that fail to reskill, align, and carry their workforce into this transformation will find their ambitions constrained before they ever scale.

There are three key reasons why.

The Intelligent Systems Economy Will Require Hundreds of Millions of Skilled People

This new AI-driven economy brings greater complexity than the cloud migration wave. According to the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Future of Jobs report, AI is expected to displace 92 million jobs, but also create 170 million new ones—a net gain of 78 million. In some countries, up to 70% of these new roles risk going unfilled due to skill shortages.

“We cannot realize the potential of this new intelligent systems economy unless we invest significant time and energy reskilling and enabling employees in new ways,” says Einav Lavi, CHRO at EDB. “Demand for qualified people will far exceed supply, emphasizing how central humans are to this revolution.”

Enterprise-Wide Agentic Success Requires Everyone – Not Just Specialists

The top 13% of enterprises treat AI and data sovereignty as a company-wide standard. Their 2x density of AI initiatives and 5x ROI stem from building a sovereign foundation that reaches everyone—from HR and frontline staff to product design, engineering, and finance.

They rolled out GenAI and agentic systems in a coordinated, enterprise-wide sequence that embedded AI into organizational DNA. Skill levels varied, but reskilling at scale produced transformation at scale.

As enterprises evolve into AI “factories,” every employee becomes part of the production line, sharing common standards, practices, and a unified vision.

The Future Workforce Will Demand Continuous Reinvention

For most of the past century, people held 1.5 careers across 5–10 employers. That era is ending. By 2050, 60–80% of today’s jobs will be automated, and individuals may have 20–30 roles across a dozen organizations.

“In this environment, continuous reskilling becomes one of the most valuable currencies of success,” Lavi notes. “The enterprises that thrive will invest as much in their people as they do in their AI.”

AI itself will accelerate this reinvention – surfacing internal opportunities faster, matching people to roles or stretch assignments, and building personalized development pathways. Growth will be driven increasingly by skills and contribution, not proximity or bias.

For HR and managers, AI-powered “people copilots” will reshape workforce planning by identifying early signals of burnout, workload imbalance, sentiment shifts, and retention risks – augmenting, not replacing, human judgment.

The goal is not the automation of humanity, but the elevation of what makes us human – freeing people to focus on creativity, judgment, empathy, and innovation, the very things machines cannot replicate.

Digital Trends partners with external contributors. All contributor content is reviewed by the Digital Trends editorial staff.