Research results from CIPD’s work as part of the UK Government-funded Innovate UK BridgeAI programme
The use of AI in organisations is increasing rapidly. Regardless of the industry that you work in, or the extent of AI adoption in your organisation, people professionals have a clear role to play as the experts in people, work and change.
That is why the CIPD became a partner in the Innovate UK BridgeAI programme: a government-backed programme dedicated to supporting the informed adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
As part of this programme, throughout 2025, the CIPD worked alongside the Institute for the Future of Work (IFOW) to engage CIPD members and help develop research, guidance and AI frameworks to support responsible and effective AI adoption. We would like to thank IFOW for their partnership across this research.
In addition, we would like to thank the British Standards Institution (BSI) for their contributions – providing expertise in helping organisations navigate AI standards and risk management frameworks.
The results of the CIPD’s and partners’ BridgeAI funded research was published March-April 2026 and is provided below. We encourage you to use this research as a key evidence base to support your own work.
In partnership with the IFOW eight AI case studies were developed.
These case studies involved organisations of different sizes, sectors and levels of digital maturity; providing real-world insights into how artificial intelligence is being adopted and used in the workplace.
Guided by the IFOW’s 6R’s framework, these case studies were collated through action research:
The summarised results of each case study are provided below. In addition, the lessons from these case studies were brought together in our thought leadership ‘Responsible and effective AI adoption at work’, which identifies practical recommendations for organisations seeking to implement AI responsibly and effectively.
Learn how a holiday retailer moved from experimental AI use towards a more strategic, trusted and people-centred approach to AI implementation.
Read the AI adoption and strategy case study.
Explore how one organisation used lessons from previous technology adoption challenges to take a more deliberate and targeted approach to AI investment.
Explore the purposeful AI investment case study.
Understand how one organisation addressed concerns about AI and job design when introducing AI-enabled software into the workplace.
Access the AI adoption and job design case study.
Discover how an NHS Trust introduced an AI HR chatbot to more than 5,000 employees and the workforce engagement lessons learned throughout the process.
Read the AI employee engagement case study.
Explore the role that senior leadership, governance and employee trust played in the successful adoption of an AI assistant.
Explore the AI trust and governance case study.
Learn how failing to involve employees during the introduction of an AI system created a trust gap, and what organisations can do differently.
Access the employee participation and AI adoption case study.
Explore how one organisation responded to widespread unofficial AI use and introduced governance measures and guardrails to support responsible adoption.
Read the AI governance and responsible use case study.
Find out how an organisation addressed inconsistent governance arrangements and created a more coordinated approach to managing AI-related risks.
As AI becomes more widely adopted, organisations need to ensure its use is responsible, governed and people-centred. This is why, as part of the CIPD's contribution to Innovate UK’s BridgeAI programme, research and engagement activities were undertaken to better understand the organisational development implications of AI and the role people professionals can play in responsible adoption. The resources to support this are outlined below.
With subject matter expertise from the CIPD, input from CIPD members and collaborative work alongside the British Standards Institution (BSI), the guide on navigating AI standards helps organisations compare AI governance frameworks, and identify the safeguards needed for responsible and compliant AI use.
Use the navigating AI standards guide.
Bringing together the research findings, input from CIPD members and a wider evidence base, this guide provides a practical roadmap for HR teams looking to play a strategic role in AI governance and implementation.
Access the HR role in ethical, legal and sustainable AI guide.
Informed by CIPD subject matter expertise and CIPD member input, this guide provides a practical step-by-step framework to identify emerging skills needs, assess workforce readiness and plan for AI-driven change.
Drawing on the BridgeAI and CIPD research on AI, two thought leadership articles provide informed conversation points on AI and the future of the people profession.
Using their expertise in workforce planning, job design, skills development and organisational change, people professionals are central to effective AI skills planning.
This thought leadership piece considers how to futureproof HR skills as AI reshapes the world of work.
Access the futureproofing your HR skills thought leadership.
If you are building a business case for AI workforce development, or advocating for a skills-based approach to AI in your organisation, this thought leadership article helps to explain why a staged approach to AI upskilling can help organisations respond more effectively to changing needs.
Read the thought leadership on taking a staged approach to workforce reskilling and upskilling.
Drawing together insights from all eight case studies, this thought leadership explores how organisations can balance AI adoption with workforce stability; highlighting why strategic pauses and investment in future expertise are critical to long-term organisational performance.
Learn from the responsible and effective AI adoption thought leadership.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our CIPD members, whose engagement and insights continually inform our work. Whether through local networks, learning programmes, the Community or other channels, their contributions help us shape focus groups, review content and ensure our resources remain relevant, practical and grounded in real workplace experience.
With thanks to the CIPD AI advisory group that acted as a sounding board for our AI content plans for members. This advisory group brought a broad range of expertise from across the profession as well as legal and AI ethics experience. With thanks to:
Hayfa joined us in 2020. Hayfa has degrees in computer science and human resources from University of York and University of Warwick respectively.
She started her career in the private sector working in IT and then HR and has been writing for the HR community since 2012. Previously she worked for another membership organisation (UCEA) where she expanded the range of pay and workforce benchmarking data available to the higher education HR community.
She is interested in how the people profession can contribute to good work through technology and has written several publications on our behalf, as well as judging our people management awards, speaking at conferences and exhibitions and providing commentary to the media on the subjects of people and technology.
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