How change managers use AI in their work
Explore the results
In brief
1. Change practitioners appreciate the potential of AI to enhance analytics, personalize communication, deepen leaders’ understanding of organizational readiness, and uncover patterns that help anticipate resistance to change.
2. Despite this potential, to date the practical experience of using AI in change management is limited.
3. Respondents highlight concerns about data privacy, ethical use, and the risk of losing the human connections that underpin successful change.
AI as an enabler for change
The use of AI in change management in the UN system is consistent with the vision of a modernized, evidence-informed organization implied by the UN 2.0 Quintet of Change (emphasising data, digital, innovation, foresight, and behavioural science). As AI moves from concept to practice as an enabler of change, it is expanding what is possible while redefining how practitioners design, lead, and sustain change.
When asked in what ways AI can support change management efforts, respondents were most likely to highlight the role of AI in providing practical, hands-on support, where applications are proven and reliable. Such support includes enhancing decision-making through data analysis (68% of respondents identified this), automating routine tasks (66%), and helping to tailor communications for different stakeholders (65%).
A smaller percentage of respondents (29%) are currently using AI to anticipate human behaviour (such as predicting change resistance or adoption patterns), perhaps because these applications are seen as new, less trusted, and not yet fully understood. Nevertheless, this feature may be a source of significant potential for the use of AI in change management in the future.
Limited practical experience
While enthusiasm about AI’s potential in the UN system is strong, hands-on practical experience in the use of AI in change management is limited.
- 31 percent of respondents say they use AI tools regularly in change management.
- 35 percent say they use AI tools occasionally.
- 34 percent say they have little or no experience of using AI in change management.
This gap – between respondents’ interest in what AI could do, and the application of AI in practice – highlights that the integration of AI into change management processes in the UN system is still at an early stage.
Concerns and risks
The biggest concern that respondents associate with using AI in change management relates to their own capacities and skills in this area. Two thirds of respondents (66%) identify lack of skills to implement AI solutions as a concern or as a risk to implementation.
Concerns about ethics and bias in AI decision-making are also a significant barrier to implementation, with 62 percent of respondents citing this as a concern.
The third concern or risk relates to the loss of human connection associated with AI. Over half (54%) of respondents cite this as a barrier.
Implications
Implications for change sponsors
1
Position AI as a strategic enabler of change, highlighting its potential to enhance impact while setting clear expectations for ethical, transparent, and responsible use, in line with internal policies on the use of AI, and the messaging of the United Nations’ Governing AI for Humanity report.
2
Keep people at the centre of change, emphasizing that AI should support – not replace – human judgement, and ensuring that technology serves people and purpose, not the other way around.
3
Promote open and transparent communication about how AI is used and how data is protected, strengthening trust and accountability across all levels.
Implications for change managers and practitioners
1
Maintain curiosity and a learning mindset regarding the use of AI in change management, finding opportunities to experiment and build your own and others’ capabilities and understanding.
2
Integrate AI into diagnostic and communication processes to gain deeper insights into organizational readiness, and to identify potential resistance points, employee sentiment, and key influencers within the organization. This enables more tailored and effective change strategies.
3
Develop data fluency as a core skill, and use data responsibly to guide the work of change.