Degreed LENS 2026 to Confront AI's Workplace Productivity Paradox

SALT LAKE CITY, UT – January 26, 2026 – As organizations globally pour billions into artificial intelligence, a troubling paradox is emerging in the modern workplace: while executive optimism for AI-driven productivity soars, many employees report feeling more overworked and less productive than ever. This growing disconnect between AI's promise and its real-world impact is set to be the central focus of LENS 2026, the flagship conference from AI-powered learning system Degreed, taking place March 3-4 in Orlando, Florida.

The event aims to gather a critical mass of senior HR, learning, and talent leaders to move beyond the hype and tackle the difficult questions surrounding the integration of AI into the workforce. The core challenge on the agenda is how to transform AI from a novel, and sometimes burdensome, technology into a measurable driver of performance without eroding employee trust, engagement, or critical human capabilities.

The AI Productivity Paradox Takes Center Stage

Recent industry data paints a stark picture of the tension at the heart of the AI revolution. While a vast majority of C-suite leaders anticipate significant productivity gains from AI, a considerable portion of the workforce experiences a different reality. Studies indicate that many employees find their workloads have actually increased, bogged down by the need to learn new tools, verify AI-generated output, and manage a phenomenon dubbed "workslop"—low-quality, AI-produced content that requires extensive human correction.

This "AI productivity paradox" highlights a critical implementation gap. The issue often stems from organizations deploying AI tools broadly without providing the necessary strategic framework, task-level guidance, or training. The result is a workforce that feels unprepared and, in many cases, distrustful of their organization's ability to manage the transition equitably. Research has shown that a significant number of employees do not trust their employers to ensure positive AI outcomes for everyone, creating a cultural hurdle that technology alone cannot overcome.

LENS 2026 is positioned to address this gap head-on. Sessions are designed to explore the human side of AI adoption, focusing on practical strategies for closing capability gaps, fostering a healthy AI sentiment among employees, and equipping them to work productively alongside intelligent systems, not just in service of them. The conference promises to delve into how skills intelligence and hyper-personalization can help organizations navigate a constrained labor market where human talent remains the ultimate competitive differentiator.

A Confluence of Experts on Skills and Strategy

To dissect these complex issues, Degreed has assembled a formidable lineup of speakers who bring diverse, high-level expertise from the front lines of business, technology, and academia. The roster signals a clear intent to foster a conversation grounded in practical application rather than futuristic speculation.

Headlining the event is Sol Rashidi, a C-suite leader widely recognized as the world's first Chief AI Officer. Her presence underscores the conference's focus on top-down AI strategy, governance, and the executive-level decisions required to integrate AI successfully into a company's DNA. Also taking the stage is Whitney Johnson, CEO of Disruption Advisors and a best-selling author whose work on personal disruption and innovation will provide crucial insights into how individuals and organizations can adapt to rapid, technology-driven change.

Adding a data-centric perspective is Matt Sigelman, President of the Burning Glass Institute, an organization renowned for its deep research into labor market trends and the evolving skills economy. His contributions are expected to provide a data-driven foundation for discussions on which skills will be most valuable in an AI-augmented future and how organizations can proactively build those capabilities.

The lineup is further strengthened by a cohort of global leaders from companies like Pernod Ricard, TEKsystems, McKinsey & Company, Phillips 66, and Tata Communications. This breadth of industry representation ensures that the discussions will cover a wide range of real-world challenges and successes in operationalizing skills, applying AI responsibly across the talent lifecycle, and connecting learning investments to concrete business outcomes.

Beyond Hype: The Push for Measurable Impact

The overarching theme emerging from the LENS 2026 agenda is a decisive shift from the what of AI to the how. The L&D industry is undergoing a foundational change, moving away from a traditional, static "publishing model" of course catalogs toward a dynamic, AI-powered ecosystem where learning is continuous, personalized, and deeply integrated into the flow of work.

This evolution is critical for solving the productivity paradox. As Degreed CEO David Blake noted in the announcement, “AI alone won’t fix productivity challenges.” He emphasized that the solution lies in a strategic combination of technology and human-centric design. “LENS 2026 will focus on how organizations can combine AI, skills intelligence, and learning to unlock human capability at scale, and turn disruption into durable advantage,” Blake stated.

The conference will feature sessions led by Degreed’s own experts, who are expected to unveil new product innovations and frameworks for building adaptive, future-ready workforces. The focus will be on demonstrating how AI can be applied responsibly to hyper-personalize development pathways, support cohort-based learning academies, and ultimately connect the dots between individual skill growth, workforce planning, and measurable business performance. This pragmatic approach aims to equip attendees with actionable strategies to prove the ROI of their learning initiatives in an era of tightening budgets and heightened executive scrutiny.

Building on a Legacy of Learning Innovation

Degreed has long positioned itself as a key player in the Learning Experience Platform (LXP) market, a space it helped define by championing a more learner-centric, skills-first approach to corporate education. LENS 2026 is the latest chapter in the company's ongoing effort to lead the conversation on the future of work.

The conference builds on the momentum of previous years. LENS 2025, for example, also focused on the impact of learning, AI, and skills-based strategies, earning positive feedback from attendees who praised the event for its collaborative atmosphere and practical, actionable insights. By continuing this dialogue, the Salt Lake City-based firm is cementing its role not just as a technology vendor but as a central convener for leaders navigating one of the most significant business transformations of the century.

As organizations grapple with the dual pressures of technological disruption and the need for human-centric growth, events like LENS 2026 provide a vital forum for collaboration and problem-solving. The conference's deep dive into the friction between AI adoption and human productivity promises to offer leaders a much-needed roadmap for harnessing technology's power while simultaneously investing in their greatest asset: their people.