Earlier this month at the AI & the Future of Work Dialogue at the Vatican, I joined policymakers, economists, technologists, diplomats, and business leaders to discuss one of the defining questions of our time: how AI will reshape work, economic opportunity, and society itself.

Indeed had a meaningful seat at the table alongside companies like Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI. As a primary authority on labor market intelligence, we are essential in shaping human-centered, trustworthy AI for the world of work. From AI governance to workforce transformation, global institutions rely on Indeed’s data to navigate and lead the next era of labor market reform. If AI is going to transform work, it needs to do so in ways that people can trust.

In Rome, I focused on grounding the discussion in the task-level transformation we are already observing through Indeed’s data and AI impact research. AI is not simply changing jobs in the abstract. It is changing how tasks are performed within occupations and across sectors — reshaping skill requirements, redistributing responsibilities, and creating entirely new forms of work alongside automation.

Yet too much of the public conversation still focuses narrowly on which jobs might disappear, rather than on how trustworthy, human-centred AI can help people adapt, grow, and navigate change more confidently. Policy cannot simply focus on retraining after disruption occurs. A credible AI agenda has to support continuous learning and adaptability while people remain in work, ensuring AI expands skills  rather than diminishing them.

One point I believe is that AI could become one of the greatest democratisers of education and knowledge access we have seen, particularly for workers without a traditional education, like myself. Used responsibly, it has the potential to reduce barriers to learning, workplace training, and career mobility at a scale we have not experienced before. But whether that promise is realised depends on design choices, governance, and trust.

At Indeed, that trust is tangible. Our teams are already addressing risks such as AI-enabled resume manipulation, which can undermine fairness in hiring and erode employer confidence in AI-powered recruitment tools. Maintaining trust requires constant adaptation—strengthening safeguards, monitoring misuse, and being transparent about how our systems work and where human oversight applies. For example, Indeed has published peer-reviewed research on hidden “prompt injections” in resumes, built defenses into our screening tools, and provided explainable scoring and documentation so employers can understand how our AI supports, but never replaces, human hiring decisions.

There was also broad recognition that many governments are trying to navigate this transition with labor market systems designed for a very different era. Fragmented and lagging labor market data makes it harder to respond quickly and effectively to workforce change. That is why institutions including the European Central Bank, the Bank of England, the OECD, the IMF, and national governments engage with Indeed not just as a platform, but as a strategic labor market infrastructure and intelligence partner.

The foundation of the work is simple: job seekers first. That means designing AI tools that help people understand their skills, broaden their opportunities, and navigate change with more confidence.

One of the strongest themes from this summit was that the future of AI cannot only be about productivity. Discussions repeatedly returned to dignity, usefulness, care, community, and human connection. We can’t just chase efficiency and call it a win. Building AI that actually works means recognizing that social impact and the human experience are core requirements, not optional add-ons.

We believe the future is trustworthy, human-centred AI, grounded in high-quality labor market data, to support better decisions, unlock greater opportunity, and help people adapt to the new world of work with confidence.

It was an honor to be among this group.  I left the conversation encouraged by the level of ambition and by the shared belief that technology should help create more trusted, transparent, and effective connections between people and opportunity.