In the Age of AI, What’s Driving Career Decisions in Tech?
Michael Page
At a glance:
- As companies are rolling out AI at a rapid pace, tech professionals are pivoting and picking up new skills in AI operations, AI ethics, and compliance & data governance
- Tech professionals want to see transparency and human oversight in how AI-assisted decisions get made
- Ethical AI literacy and knowing how to use AI responsibly is becoming a baseline expectation rather than a nice-to-have skill
The adoption of AI in the workplace is accelerating. The speed at which tech professionals have incorporated emerging tools and technologies into their workflow has prompted organisations to quickly adapt and put the right structures and best practices in place.
We spoke with Michael Page technology experts across various regions about the challenges of implementing AI governance, and how this is impacting tech professionals as AI becomes part of everyday work.
💡 How is AI changing the hiring conversation?
The challenges of adopting AI into daily work are reshaping how tech professionals think about their careers and how employers approach hiring. Here’s a closer look at what’s shifting.
AI’s impact on career decisions
Our survey of over 6,000 technology professionals for Michael Page’s 2026 Talent Trends report shows that tech professionals have embraced the introduction of AI. 79% said it’s having a net positive impact on their efficiency and productivity.
However, the ubiquity of AI in the workplace is directly impacting tech professionals, who are looking to pivot into new areas of expertise. As AI tools become increasingly embedded in day-to-day work, tech professionals are having to continuously adapt their skills, workflows and governance practices to use them responsibly and effectively. As María Mosquera , from Michael Page Spain, explains, what candidates really want to know is where they stand alongside AI in the workplace:
”One of the key success factors is giving employees confidence that AI is designed to augment and empower them, providing additional capabilities rather than simply replacing workers. Organisations that communicate transparently about these issues tend to build greater trust and attract stronger talent.”
Marcus Zhu , from Michael Page Shanghai, sees this play out directly in how senior candidates test a company’s AI strategy:
”When senior candidates evaluate a company’s AI strategy, they don’t ask about policies. They ask two sharper questions. First, what’s the actual product-market fit of the AI initiative? If you build a workflow, what value does it create, and what is the per-year saving or efficiency gain? Second, what’s your data maturity? AI’s prerequisite is digitalisation. If your operational, business, and production data isn’t in a database with proper governance, no amount of model investment will help.”
Besides asking these important questions, it’s worth thinking about long-term career goals, which skills to build now, and how to stay relevant as AI changes what’s expected in your role.
Transparency around AI policy
Businesses implementing AI face several interconnected challenges. Our latest Talent Trends results show that 28% of business leaders perceive adapting to working with new recruitment technologies to be the biggest challenge in recruiting and retaining talent over the next 12 months. Organisations that connect and enrich their data are better positioned to harness the power of AI, while strong security and privacy practices help safeguard sensitive information and support responsible innovation.
Transparency around AI policy is becoming a bigger part of the conversation for senior tech professionals weighing up a role change.
Gonçalo Castelbranco , from Michael Page Portugal, puts the responsibility on both sides of the table:
”Recruiters and candidates share the responsibility of reading between the lines, observing organisational behaviours, and asking the right questions throughout the recruitment process
The skills gap AI is creating
In Michael Page’s 2026 Talent Trends, only one in every five respondents we surveyed were very confident that their organisation could adapt effectively to the pace of change in the workplace regarding new technologies such as AI.
These challenges create significant opportunities within the technology recruitment market. Demand is growing for professionals who can bridge the gap between AI innovation and business readiness.
Brendan Hamilton , Michael Page Canada, is observing a similar trend in the market, with growing demand for new and emerging roles as organisations accelerate their digital transformation initiatives.
”We’re seeing growing demand for AI Governance Managers, Responsible AI Leads, AI Product Managers, AI Security Specialists, AI Compliance Officers, Prompt Engineers, AI Solution Architects, and AI Enablement or Adoption Managers.
Beyond dedicated AI roles, many existing positions, from software developers and business analysts to project managers and HR professionals, are evolving to include AI literacy and oversight as core competencies.”
Knowing how to combine technical AI expertise, regulatory requirements and user adoption strategies is becoming a critical talent skill.
Employee accountability and responsible use of AI
Successful AI adoption depends on effective change management, ensuring employees understand the benefits of new tools, adapt smoothly to evolving workflows, and feel empowered to make the most of emerging technologies.
The responsible use of AI demands accountability from companies and professionals. That’s why ethical AI literacy is fast becoming a core employability skill, especially in tech roles, and the ability to work effectively with AI is shifting from a differentiator to a baseline expectation.
”Employees remain accountable for the work they produce, even when AI assists in creating it. They have a responsibility to protect confidential information, verify AI-generated content for accuracy, recognise potential bias, follow company policies, and exercise professional judgment rather than accepting AI outputs at face value.”
— Brendan Hamilton , Michael Page Canada
If you’re interviewing for a role right now, it’s worth having specifics ready: which AI tools you’ve used and for what, how you verify AI-generated output before it goes out, and how you’ve handled disagreeing with what a tool produced.
AI and the environment
The rapid expansion of AI comes with a real environmental cost, driven mostly by energy consumption. The International Energy Agency projects that AI-related data center emissions could reach up to 1.4% of global CO2 emissions by the end of the decade.
Strategies like ditching wasteful AI usage habits, such as consuming high volumes of AI tokens on unnecessary or irrelevant tasks, encourage a more disciplined approach to AI adoption: using shorter, more focused prompts, generating only the outputs that add value, and selecting lighter, fit-for-purpose models that match the complexity of the task at hand. Tools like Ecosia AI and GreenPT, built on renewable energy, prove it’s possible.
“Companies that are genuinely committed to responsible AI are increasingly establishing AI governance committees involving IT, Legal, Compliance, HR, and Information Security teams. The objective is not simply regulatory compliance but also ensuring that AI generates value in an ethical, transparent and business-aligned manner.”
— Gonçalo Castelbranco , from Michael Page Portugal
Sustainability-conscious candidates are increasingly drawn to organisations that demonstrate environmentally responsible AI strategies.
In Michael Page’s 2026 Talent Trends report, over a quarter of tech professionals said they considered the company’s ethics and values when applying for or accepting a role, with environmental policies a chief concern. This is most prevalent among Gen Z and Millennial workers, and this group is projected to make up nearly three-quarters of the global workforce by 2030.
🤔 What this means for tech careers going forward
As AI becomes part of daily work, candidates are asking more incisive questions, and employers are being asked to answer them with more transparency than before.
It’s a shift that’s likely to keep shaping how tech professionals evaluate roles, and how employers position themselves to attract the right talent.
We’d love to hear your perspective: What questions matter most to you when evaluating a company’s approach to AI?
Thanks for reading,
The Michael Page Technology team
