Why Talent Strategy Must Be Reimagined for the AI Era

That reframes the “skills gap” as more than an HR talking point: Sharma argues it's becoming a real constraint on how fast companies can execute digital transformation, and that the talent needed often already exists inside the organization, just hidden behind outdated career structures and no visibility into who can do what. Employees, she notes, are ahead of their employers here — they already sense that skills have a shrinking shelf life and are choosing employers based on visible growth and mobility, not just pay.

She's careful to note that the “new skills” employers need aren't purely technical — as routine work gets automated, judgment, creativity, and the ability to work well with AI tools become the premium, not a consolation prize. For CHROs, that means the role is expanding well past traditional HR questions into genuinely strategic ones about where automation should go and how fast internal talent can be redeployed. Sharma sees particular stakes for India, given its large young workforce, to move from a talent-supply story to a leader in skills-driven transformation.