The future of work is already here — and agentic AI might be the smartest teammate in the room.
GUEST COLUMN | by Anurag Sinha
FATMAWATI ACHMAD ZAENURI
AI is transforming our work environments at an astonishing pace, creating a dynamic where roles are continuously evolving, and tasks are shifting. And the skills gap is expected to widen over the next five years. According to The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report, a staggering 39% of current skill sets are expected to be transformed or become obsolete by 2030.
‘…a staggering 39% of current skill sets are expected to be transformed or become obsolete by 2030.’
It’s easy to get caught up in the uncertainty around what the future of work might look like, but in many ways, we’re already living it. Amidst this uncertainty, edtech companies stand as pivotal players in the reskilling effort. Interestingly, the same AI driving these disruptions can also be harnessed to deliver more adaptive and effective approaches to Learning and Development (L&D).
We’re all in the race to reskill. Here’s how agentic AI can help close critical skills gaps across industries.
Turning learning platforms into learning partners
Most edtech platforms already use traditional AI in some form, whether through augmented instruction, automated assessments and summaries, or analytical recommendations. Agentic AI takes L&D to another level with goal-driven systems that can take initiative, make decisions using natural language, and act autonomously in context. Instead of simply surfacing relevant content, agentic AI can assess a learner’s current skill level, map it to required competencies for the role, and guide them through targeted learning modules to help them progress with minimal intervention from instructors or managers.
Edtech platforms can leverage agentic AI to decipher proficiency levels or learning styles, such as visual learning, confusion detection, or emotional cues, to adapt and personalize the L&D curriculum for each employee. It can also flag knowledge shortfalls, recommend changes to the lesson plan, and notify instructors or HR teams when intervention is needed.
Integrating agentic AI into edtech learning platforms is key for enabling the shift to Education 5.0, which emphasizes personalized learning where educational paths adjust in real time to how individuals learn best, rather than one-size-fits-all instruction. These systems guide learners forward, adapting to individual needs, and driving meaningful progress to upskill individuals.
‘These systems guide learners forward, adapting to individual needs, and driving meaningful progress to upskill individuals.’
Helping edtech seize new opportunities in the future of work
Edtech companies have an opportunity to expand, becoming a core part of how businesses shape their workforce. Employers are looking for tools that help them reskill full teams, respond to shifting industry demands, and plan for future talent needs. Agentic AI makes this possible by enabling new capabilities, like integrating assessments that match learners with internal roles, adapting content based on business priorities, and surfacing learning data to support hiring or redeployment decisions.
For instance, a learner might complete a skills assessment, get matched to advanced engineering modules based on their career goals, and be flagged as promotion-ready to their HR team once they complete the training, automatically triggering the next step in their development. For edtech providers, incorporating this kind of intelligence presents an opportunity to stay competitive as companies seek long-term partners to help them rethink talent development in a rapidly changing workforce.
Empowering human potential at the speed of change
According to data from Pearson, AI-powered automation could save U.S. workers 78 million hours a week by 2026, freeing up time that can be redirected toward higher-value work. While automation will handle routine and manual tasks, workers will need to have a strong set of social and interpersonal skills to thrive, including the ability to think critically, lead, adapt, and collaborate.
‘While automation will handle routine and manual tasks, workers will need to have a strong set of social and interpersonal skills to thrive, including the ability to think critically, lead, adapt, and collaborate.’
At the same time, businesses are under pressure to reduce costs and increase productivity. Agentic AI helps address these priorities: lowering training costs, improving productivity, and supporting the development of complex human skills. It enables training that works across a distributed workforce, from full-time employees to contractors and gig workers, without sacrificing relevance or quality. It can also optimize learning paths to support more independent and self-directed work for skilled professionals, boosting productivity.
For businesses, agentic AI enables easier adaptation of learning programs as roles evolve, while still delivering both scale and personalization without requiring manual reprogramming. And by helping learners build in-demand skills internally, it offers a cost-effective alternative to external hiring, allowing companies to respond faster without adding headcount or increasing retraining costs.
In conclusion, the race to reskill is on, and knowledge has become the new currency. With agentic AI, edtech companies can empower businesses to train a workforce that is not only ready for the future but also sets the pace for success.
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Anurag Sinha is Senior Vice President and Head of Communications, Media and Technology at Cognizant. A 30-year industry veteran, he specializes in building next-gen telco ecosystems by partnering with “hyper scalers”, AI startups, and platform providers. Anurag has held executive roles across communications, financial services, healthcare, and insurance. He previously served as CEO of MBI Digital and led the $1.2B Communications & Media business at Infosys, where he was a member of the company’s Executive Council. He holds a computer science degree from Bangalore University and completed a Global Leadership program at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Connect with Anurag on LinkedIn.
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