The future of work won’t be defined by whether we adopt AI—it will be defined by how. Will we use this technology simply to reduce costs, or to build more capable, connected, and human-centered organizations?

At Valence, we believe that AI should augment human performance, not replace it. That’s what led us to build Nadia, an AI work coach that delivers personalized, real-time support to every manager and employee, helping them lead more effectively, communicate more clearly, and grow with purpose in their roles.

But the full impact of exponential technologies like AI only becomes clear as organizations adopt them at scale. What began as a tool to support individual development is becoming something more: a new kind of talent platform that grows with people throughout their careers, that keeps teams aligned and performing with purpose, and allows organizations to develop talent for the Human + AI era. Here’s what we’ve learned so far from deploying AI coaching across more than 45 global enterprises.

Coachability becomes an organizational competence

When every manager and employee has a coach in their pocket, day-to-day challenges get solved faster. People make better decisions, stay aligned to strategy, and collaborate more effectively. But beyond tactical support, AI coaching is making organizations more coachable.

People stay coachable if they experience coaching early in their careers. That’s a profound shift in organizational competence and individual career growth that hasn’t been possible until now. HR business partners tell us they now spend less time onboarding employees into human coaching—because AI has already laid the foundation.

Bridging cultures across global teams

For global workforces, AI’s ability to operate across languages is an immediate benefit. But the best AI coaches go beyond fluency, bringing a surprisingly nuanced, global perspective on cultural norms and ways of working. 

At VML, a global creative agency, one manager turned to Nadia for help encouraging a direct report to manage up. What they didn’t expect was for Nadia to encourage them to reconsider how their approach might be perceived in their direct report’s cultural context. That reflection led to better feedback, and a broader perspective on how to manage across a global team.

Raising our collective EQ

Private, judgment-free, and always available, AI coaching gives people space to reflect, especially in emotionally charged moments. 

We consistently hear that our users turn to Nadia first when preparing for tough conversations or processing a stressful situation. They walk away clearer and calmer, and they show up with higher emotional intelligence in team interactions. Deployed at scale, AI’s ability to raise the collective EQ of an organization is something we couldn’t have predicted when we started out. 

Performance reviews: the perfect first use case

When work feels heavy, people tend to avoid it. But when that work suddenly gets lighter, people put more effort into it, boosting both efficiency and quality. That’s why annual reviews are one of the most valuable starting use cases for AI coaching.

When Delta Airlines trained Nadia on its leadership principles and review frameworks, she helped managers go from taking days to draft reviews to getting them done in an hour. Completion rates rose. Feedback became more thoughtful. And Nadia is now embedded across the full performance cycle—from goal setting to check-ins to year-end reviews—ensuring feedback aligns with strategy all year long.

People reach for AI coaching in moments of change

Before AI, large-scale change left HR teams spread thin just when employees most needed help. Now, AI coaches provide real-time, personalized support through change, freeing HR to focus on leading the transformation.

At facility management company ABM, when a new ERP system required frontline managers to communicate sensitive changes to clients, they turned to Nadia to roleplay and prepare for those conversations. The result? Zero client churn during the transition.

The imperative for HR leaders is clear

Six months ago, most companies were still experimenting with AI. Today, the best are scaling it: unlocking capacity, empowering their people, and redesigning how work happens. This isn’t just a tech shift. It’s a leadership shift.

The talent leaders who lean in now—who design, test, and shape this new era of Human + AI performance—will be the ones defining what “great” looks like in the future.

This is our moment not to react, but to lead.

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Parker Mitchell is cofounder and CEO at Valence, where he helps people work better and contribute to a world where potential is more important than credential. He has been recognized by Ernst & Young as Entrepreneur of the Year and been named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40.