Now to Next: The Signal

What if the reason AI investments are not delivering value has nothing to do with the technology itself?

Across industries, organizations are pouring billions into AI tools, rolling out enterprise copilots, and tracking usage metrics that suggest adoption is rising. But the outcomes are not changing. Productivity is not shifting in meaningful ways. Decision making is not improving. And leaders are starting to ask why.

What if by automating entry level work, we are quietly eliminating the future leaders we will need in five years?

As AI accelerates productivity across enterprises, I see a silent fracture forming beneath the surface. Entry level roles are disappearing. Internships are evaporating. And Gen Z unemployment and underemployment are rising at rates that far too few leaders are openly discussing.

In this urgent and deeply personal conversation, I sat down with Heather Jerrehian, Founder and CEO of H22 AI, to unpack what she calls an existential workforce crisis. From her vantage point in Silicon Valley, she has watched AI reshape workflows, hiring patterns, and corporate incentives in real time. What struck me most was this: the real danger is not automation itself, but redesigning work without redesigning pathways.

What if the biggest divide in your organization is no longer about role, pay, or seniority, but about how people think with AI?

In this solo episode of Now to Next, Jason Averbook breaks down a pattern that is accelerating inside companies right now and largely invisible to traditional HR systems. Drawing from fresh labor data, market signals, and real examples from his own work, Jason introduces the idea of the K shaped AI economy where the split is not between jobs, but within them.

He explains why two people in the same role can now be operating at radically different levels of impact, why performance systems are failing to detect it, and why AI fluency is no longer about using tools but about changing how work and thinking actually happen. This episode is a direct call to leaders, HR, and talent teams to stop planning for the future of work and start responding to the reality already unfolding.

In this episode of Now to Next, Jason Averbook is joined by Ophir Samson, Founder and CEO of Ezra, to explore how voice AI is reshaping the front end of hiring and why resumes may no longer be fit for purpose in an AI-driven world.

Ophir shares his unconventional journey from mathematics and autonomous vehicles to building voice-based interviewing technology, and explains why resumes have become a weak signal now that AI can generate polished applications at scale. Together, Jason and Ophir unpack how voice AI can surface richer, more human insight earlier in the hiring process without replacing recruiters or removing human judgment.

The conversation dives into ethics, candidate experience, bias, trust, and why the future of recruiting isn’t about automation for efficiency alone, but about freeing humans to focus on the work they should be doing. This episode offers a grounded, thoughtful look at where AI belongs in hiring and where it absolutely doesn’t.

What if the real challenge with AI is not the technology, but how humans respond to change?

In this episode, Jason Averbook sits down with Al Dea, Founder of The Edge of Work, to unpack what talent, learning, and HR leaders are really experiencing as AI, transformation, and constant change collide in today’s workplace.

Drawing from dozens of deep conversations with senior talent and learning leaders, Al shares what is top of mind right now. From change fatigue and fear, to middle manager overload, to why most organizations are using AI for efficiency instead of redesigning work itself. They explore why humans are wired to survive rather than thrive during change, why mindset matters more than tools, and what leaders must focus on to build resilient, human-centered organizations in an AI-driven world.

This conversation goes beyond hype to examine leadership, agency, curiosity, and the deeply human skills that will matter most as work continues to evolve.

In this timely solo episode of Now to Next, Jason Averbook takes on a feeling many people are struggling to name. A sense that the usual paths around education, careers, and work no longer feel clear, especially as families come together during the holidays.

Drawing from conversations with executives, parents, students, and mid career professionals, Jason explains why this moment is not about jobs disappearing or people falling behind. It is about the loss of a shared map for how we plan our futures.

Questions that once had straightforward answers no longer do. What should I study? Is college still the right choice? Am I behind, or just early? Instead of framing this uncertainty as a problem, Jason reframes it as awareness. A sign that people are paying attention to how work is really changing.

He argues that the biggest gap today is not skills. It is agency. The ability to notice what is shifting, make informed choices, and move forward without waiting for permission.

What if your organization is already running on a new operating model—and no one realizes it yet?

In this third solo episode, Jason unpacks two major reports from OpenAI and NTT Data and explains why they signal the biggest shift in how work gets done since the internet. He breaks down the invisible rewiring happening across enterprise workflows, the widening gap emerging between workers who use AI and those who don’t, and why HR must now become the architects of augmented work. This episode is a practical, urgent call for leaders to rethink how they design work, empower their people, and build momentum in an AI-shaped world.

What if the most important shift in education isn’t more degrees — but earlier, real-world experience?

In this conversation, Jason sits down with Alexandra Levit, renowned futurist and author, and Stephanie Loeck, VP of Strategic Development at GPS Education Partners, to discuss their groundbreaking new book, Make School Work.

From redefining what “success” looks like to bridging the broken signal between schools and employers, this conversation uncovers why the traditional college-or-bust mindset is becoming obsolete, how students can build confidence and agency through real-world experiences, and what needs to change—urgently—to prepare the next generation for the world ahead.

Is the world of work experiencing a normal cycle—or are we in the middle of a true workforce reckoning?

In this solo episode of Now to Next, Jason Averbook breaks down the four converging forces that are reshaping work faster than organizations can respond: collapsing workforce engagement, real-time job and skills restructuring, and the breakdown of the early-career pipeline.

Jason calls this moment the “November 2025 Reckoning”—not because of hype, but because the data, signals, and lived experiences from leaders around the world show that organizations are hitting a wall. And it’s not AI causing the storm; AI is only accelerating cracks that were already forming.

Speaking directly and candidly, Jason offers clarity on what’s happening, why it matters, and what leaders must do now to prepare their workforce for what’s coming next.

As technology and AI reshape how organizations work, what happens when we react too late?

In this episode of Now to Next, Jason Averbook sits down with Alexandra Zea, HR Digital Transformation Leader at Mercer, to talk about the danger of waiting for certainty before acting — and how to make sure people don’t become the collateral of change.

Drawing on her experience helping organizations rethink HR strategy, operating models, and digital transformation, Alex shares why readiness isn’t about speed alone — it’s about balance, governance, and leading with humanity as technology accelerates.