Cisco outlines people-first AI strategy for workforce shift

Cisco is positioning workforce change, skills development and internal governance as central parts of its AI strategy, arguing that organisations need to reshape how people work alongside the technology rather than treat AI as a stand-alone technical deployment.

The company says its own use of AI now stretches across coding, product design, human resources, communications and marketing, while also influencing how it trains staff and develops internal tools. Cisco executives said the shift has required a stronger focus on learning, experimentation and trust as employees adapt to new systems and new ways of working.

The company's leadership has framed that transition as a workforce issue as much as a technology one, with an emphasis on building AI literacy and maintaining human oversight over decision-making and output.

Workforce focus

Mary de Wysocki, SVP and Chief Learning & Future Readiness Officer at Cisco, said businesses that benefit most from AI will be those that treat skills and workforce preparation as core investment areas.

"AI will reshape work and the workforce, just as every major technological shift has before," said Mary de Wysocki, SVP and Chief Learning & Future Readiness Officer, Cisco. "This isn't simply a technology transformation - it's a workforce transformation. The organizations and economies that thrive will be those that invest in people with the same urgency they invest in technology. That means expanding access to skills, creating a culture of continuous learning, and working across business, education, and government to prepare more people for what's next."

Fran Katsoudas, EVP and People, Policy & Purpose Officer at Cisco, said the company sees AI as something that should support employees rather than reduce the role of people at work.

"At Cisco, we see AI as a team sport," said Katsoudas. "If we do it right, we don't lose connection. Instead, we elevate what is deeply human about work."

Cisco's internal approach has included AI literacy courses, live learning labs and role-based training modules designed to help employees understand how AI tools can be used in day-to-day work. The company said it also offers access to third-party courses alongside internal programmes.

The training is intended to cover both technical use and judgement around where AI fits into existing roles. Cisco said that has become more important as AI tools are used more widely across business functions.

Managing change

Cisco executives said workforce concerns around AI have required direct communication about how the company uses data, what it expects from employees and where human responsibility remains.

Marci Paino, Chief Learning Officer at Cisco, said transparency is a major part of reducing employee anxiety around AI.

"A big part of addressing anxiety is building a culture of trust and transparency," said Marci Paino, Chief Learning Officer, Cisco. "That means being clear with our workforce about how we plan to use the data we collect, and what we expect of employees as they learn to use AI in their roles."

Paino said Cisco has also tried to define AI as a support tool rather than a replacement for employees, while reinforcing that human judgement remains necessary as roles evolve.

"We believe this technology will fundamentally redefine roles and jobs, but the need for humans to be in the lead isn't going away," said Paino. "Continuous reinforcement from our leaders is important not only to guide people through change but to ensure the ethical, responsible, and secure adoption of AI."

Guy Diedrich, SVP and Chief Innovation Officer at Cisco, said the pace of change linked to AI means businesses need to become more adaptable in how they operate.

"The better way of saying AI-first, would be saying agile-first," said Guy Diedrich, SVP and Chief Innovation Officer, Cisco, "because that's what you're going to have to be as an organization moving forward. You're going to have to be incredibly agile because we've never seen technology move at a pace of innovation like we're seeing now."

Cisco argues that this agility is tied to how quickly staff can learn, test and integrate AI into workflows. Paino said employees are encouraged to build regular habits around AI experimentation, including using tools for everyday tasks as well as more formal work processes.

"We encourage folks to just form that daily AI habit," said Paino, "whether it's planning dinner or reinventing their workflow. Experiment with different opportunities and have that mindset of, how can I improve this process? How can I elevate the quality of the final output? That experimentation is what eventually leads to real-world use cases."

AI at work

Cisco executives also described AI as a way to expand the amount of work teams can take on, especially where projects have previously been limited by staffing or time.

"AI agents aren't just making existing work faster; they're a new workforce of co-workers that dramatically expand what organizations can accomplish," said Jeetu Patel, President and Chief Product Officer, Cisco. "Projects shelved for lack of resources are now within reach. The only limit is imagination."

Austin Roth-Eagle, who leads the AI Acceleration Office for Cisco Global Communications, said the company has been building AI systems with human review built into the process.

"Cisco has really focused on the power of partnership with AI and leveraging AI as a force multiplier to make us all better," said Austin Roth-Eagle, AI Acceleration Office Lead, Cisco Global Communications. "So, we're building AI systems with human oversight at the forefront."

He said expertise in a given field still matters heavily in an AI-driven workflow, particularly when employees need to judge whether outputs are useful, weak or inaccurate.

"The goal is not to build AI systems that don't require humans," said Roth-Eagle. "The goal is to build AI systems that maximize our productivity and impact. Deep domain expertise - and knowing what good looks like, what mediocre looks like, what bad looks like - is as much a differentiator as AI fluency itself. The folks who are accelerating figure out how to use AI to 10x their already strong industry-vertical expertise."

Internal tools

Cisco has also developed its own internal AI assistant, called Circuit, which it says is designed to keep company information inside Cisco's own environment while giving employees access to multiple AI models through one interface.

According to the company, Circuit integrates Cisco's own models as well as external models including Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini, and routes requests to the model it considers best suited to a particular task. Cisco said the platform has become part of how staff handle productivity, problem-solving and creative work.

"I think Circuit has been a game changer for Cisco," said Roth-Eagle. "Obviously from a security perspective, keeping data behind the Cisco firewall is huge. But Circuit is an incredibly capable tool."

Paino said the internal assistant has become useful beyond speed and automation, particularly in helping staff improve the quality of their work.

"It's a brainstorming partner," said Paino. "And it can point out your blind spots and improve the quality of your work. A lot of companies are very focused on AI's use in productivity. I actually see the quality piece as even more important. We can produce better work and higher-quality customer experiences by leveraging this."

Cisco also pointed to AI work in creative projects, including Echo, an interactive exhibition developed with artists, engineers and AI systems. Gianpaolo Barozzi, VP and Chief Technology Officer for People, Policy & Purpose at Cisco, said the project was built through collaboration between different disciplines rather than through AI alone.

"The result could not have been achieved by developers only and could not have been achieved by artists only," said Gianpaolo Barozzi, VP and Chief Technology Officer for People, Policy & Purpose, Cisco. "And it couldn't be achieved by AI only."

Barozzi said the project reflects how AI is likely to be used more broadly in workplaces, with human judgement, technical knowledge and creative input all playing a role in the final output.

"It shows how Cisco is at the leading edge of AI application," said Barozzi. "But it's also helping to define the place of humans in the future of work."

Katsoudas said that principle remains central to Cisco's broader AI strategy.

"Our goal is not to replace human potential with AI, but to unlock more of it," said Katsoudas. "That requires clear guardrails, responsible leadership, and a culture where people have the confidence to meet this moment with curiosity and purpose."