While tech giants like Microsoft and Google are pushing for widespread employee adoption of AI tools, not everyone agrees that this is the right path. EY’s Chief Technology Officer for the Americas Consulting division has taken a different stance, calling it “silly” to expect every employee to upskill in AI. In an interview with Business Insider, the CTO emphasized that the goal should be to create smarter, more user-friendly systems—rather than turning the entire workforce into AI experts.
The CTO, who works closely with large organizations to help them integrate AI effectively, argued that employees don’t need to understand the inner workings of AI to benefit from it. “They just know that they have a screen and an application, they don’t need to know how the technology works,” he said. His focus is on embedding AI into tools that work behind the scenes and adapt to how people already operate.
Instead of expecting workers to adapt to AI, EY is building AI tools that seamlessly fit into existing workflows. One practical example shared by the CTO involved cruise ship crews using AI to predict guest behavior. The AI analyzes data such as weather conditions, guest profiles, and historical patterns to forecast demand, movement, and even recommend shifting staff across venues to optimize service and sales. “The AI will turn around and list out and build out that process automatically,” he explained.
Employees then interact with these plans through a visual interface—reviewing or tweaking the recommendations, rather than generating them from scratch. This kind of AI integration feels more like collaboration than disruption, making the technology more accessible and less intimidating.
Meanwhile, companies like Microsoft are reportedly incorporating AI tool usage into employee performance reviews, putting pressure on workers to quickly build AI competency. Google has also introduced an internal AI playbook to guide teams through adoption, with the burden still placed on employees to adapt.
EY’s approach, however, shifts the responsibility to the technology itself. “You’re not only just giving them technology that’s AI-enabled, you’re allowing them to start to rethink how they do their job,” the CTO added.
In a time when businesses are navigating the balance between AI ambition and realistic implementation, EY’s method presents a more user-centric and grounded path forward.
