Jon Lowe
Chief People Officer
DailyPay
Episode 15
Future of HR: AI Will Radically Reshape Organizations and Roles
Current chapter: This episode features Previ, the only free tool that helps HR teams boost internal communication
Built By PeopleDecember 22, 2025 · 13:37
Thesis
“The future of HR demands a radical rethinking of traditional work models and organizational structures, driven by technological advancements like AI and the evolving needs of the modern, multi-job workforce, rather than incremental improvements.”
Show notes
"We're in the second inning of AI in HR," says Jon Lowe, Chief People Officer at DailyPay. "And if you're not thinking about what it's going to do to your organization in the next 12 to 24 months, you are already behind the curve." This isn't hype — it's a sober, specific assessment from someone who's spent time at Amazon, Revolut, and eToro, and now leads people strategy at one of the most disruptive fintech companies in the country.
Jon's critique of how HR teams are currently approaching AI is direct: most of the conversation about AI in HR is "pretty uninspired." Analytics, process automation, maybe some chatbots. None of that captures what's actually coming — a fundamental restructuring of how organizations look, how many people they need, and what roles even exist. The leaders who are thinking at that scale now will be positioned ahead of it. The ones who aren't will be reacting.
The other big idea in this conversation is "reciprocal value creation" — Jon's framework for rethinking what employees actually want from their employers. It's not just pay and benefits (which he calls "archaic" as a sole focus). It's career development, stretch projects, professional growth, and line items for their LinkedIn profiles. Especially for younger employees in high-growth careers, the full basket of value matters as much as the paycheck — and most companies haven't caught up.
What you'll learn:
- Why Jon calls current AI adoption in HR "uninspired" — and what the real transformation looks like
- How earned wage access (DailyPay's core product) changes employee attendance, engagement, and retention
- The "reciprocal value creation" framework — and why pay and benefits alone no longer retain high-growth talent
- Why the traditional two-week pay cycle is an operating model of the past
- How to proactively build AI policies before you're forced to react to them
- What mindfulness as a leadership practice looks like in a 24/7 fintech environment
Built by People is presented by Previ — the free tool that helps HR teams boost internal communication engagement.
What you'll take away
- 1AI's impact on HR extends far beyond analytics and process automation; it will fundamentally restructure organizations and redefine coveted roles within 12-24 months. HR leaders must proactively pivot to position themselves ahead of this curve.
- 2The traditional model of a 20-year career with a single employer and bi-weekly pay cycles is obsolete. HR must adapt to a real-time, on-demand workforce that often juggles multiple jobs.
- 3Focus on 'reciprocal value creation' with employees, especially younger generations in high-growth careers. This goes beyond pay and benefits to include career development, project opportunities, and items for their LinkedIn profiles.
- 4Policies for new technologies like AI need urgent review, as static conventional views leave organizations reactive to usage control, intellectual property protection, and ethical implications.
- 5Mindfulness is a crucial 'life hack' for leaders to maintain balance and perspective amidst the constant grind, especially in an era of 24/7 demands.
What most organizations get wrong
- •The initial onset of HR teams thinking about AI through analytics and expediting process is 'pretty uninspired' and lacks vision for its true revolutionary impact on organizations.
- •The traditional employment model of long tenure and defined benefits is an 'operating model of the past' that HR has been slow to adopt against, failing to keep pace with the evolving nature of work.
- •Focusing solely on 'pay and benefits' is an 'archaic way of thinking about things' when considering employee value; a 'full basket of value' including career development and professional growth is essential.
In Jon's words
“I think the thing that we're talking about already, but we're probably still not talking about enough, is the impact of AI on the practice of HR.”
Highlights the underestimated, revolutionary potential of AI in HR beyond current incremental applications.
“I think that a lot of the things that we're— the initial onset of the way that HR teams are starting to think about AI through the lens of analytics and insights and expediting process, I think that that allows us a vision out 12, maybe 24 months, but is probably pretty uninspired with regards to where it's going to take us from a journey perspective.”
Criticizes the limited current vision for AI in HR, suggesting a deeper, more transformative impact is coming.
“I'm a really strong proponent of looking at the relationship with our employees and you're really using one of my core barometers is what I call reciprocal value, reciprocal value creation.”
Introduces a key framework for assessing and enhancing the employee-employer relationship.
“It's not only about the idea of pay and benefits, which I think is kind of an archaic way of thinking about things, but it's about really taking a look at the full basket of value that we can go and create for people as it relates to career development projects that they can go and work on. Line items that they can add to their LinkedIn.”
Redefines employee value proposition beyond traditional compensation to include career growth and professional branding.
“How do we look around the corner about how AI is going to revolutionize the way that organizations are going to look? And it's not on the horizon. This is like in the next 12 months, in the next 24 months. And I'd say that if you're not thinking about that now, you are behind the curve.”
Stresses the immediate and radical need for HR leaders to prepare for AI-driven organizational transformation.
“Mindfulness... being able to be mindful about the way that you allocate it to be able to create balance and maintain perspective is really, really important.”
Offers a personal 'life hack' for leadership effectiveness and resilience.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Outdated HR Systems & Pay Cycles: Organizations struggle with archaic 2-week pay cycles and HR systems that don't match the 'real-time, on-demand' nature of modern work (e.g., side hustles, gig economy), leading to employee dissatisfaction and attrition.
- •Limited Vision for AI in HR: HR teams are only scratching the surface with AI for analytics and process expediting, failing to anticipate its exponential impact on workforce capability, productivity, and organizational structure within 12-24 months, leaving them vulnerable to being 'behind the curve.'
- •Reactive Policy Development for New Tech: Organizations are playing catch-up, reactively trying to control AI usage, protect IP, and set policies for rapidly evolving technologies, rather longer proactively defining their approach and managing associated risks.
- •Incomplete Employee Value Proposition: Companies often focus too narrowly on pay and benefits, neglecting the 'full basket of value' that includes career development, project opportunities, and professional growth, leading to difficulty attracting and retaining high-growth talent.
- •Difficulty Maintaining Work-Life Balance/Perspective: Leaders struggle to allocate their time mindfully to create balance and maintain perspective amidst constant demands, potentially leading to burnout and decreased effectiveness.
In this episode
This episode features Previ, the only free tool that helps HR teams boost internal communication
Built by People
John Previ talks about his career journey on Built by People podcast
Built by People: John from DailyPay
John, when you reflect back on your career journey, is there a particular experience
John Stamatis on His Career
The impact of AI on the practice of HR is something we're talking about
WSJD Live: The State of HR in 2025
How does on-demand pay change employee behavior and outcomes
On-Demand Pay: Its Impact on Employee Behavior and Outcomes
One of the things we're not talking about is the evolution of what work looks like
The Evolution of Work
What cultural values or practices have been most essential to helping scale the organization
What Cultural Values Have helped scale the DailyPay organization?
Job, we talked earlier in this conversation about AI, and more broadly
WSJDLive: AI's Impact on HR Function
John, are there any surprising places where AI has already made an impact
John Quirk: The Impact of AI on the Organization
John, what's a book, habit or tool that's had an outsized impact
John Stamatopoulos on His Life
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
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