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There’s no shortage of research or predictions out there about the transformative power of technology generally, and AI specifically, to reshape human resources and the future of work. Take a Salesforce study of 200 global HR executives, for example, which suggests an AI agent adoption rate accelerating some 327% by the end of next year. Gartner estimates that 60% of HR work tasks will be completed through an intelligent agent or LLM-centric interface by 2030. And McLean & Company’s most recent HR Trends Report, comparing 2026 to 2025, shows a 5% increase in companies indicating that they are now fully in the incorporation phase of AI’s maturity model, and a 10% jump in those describing themselves as having moved into the proliferation stage.
For all the hype, however, we still see the use of AI within talent mobility specifically lagging a bit behind the broader HR function’s uptake. Our own 2026 Blueprint study found that only 27 percent of corporate global mobility (GM) managers were using it specifically to enhance their employee relocation programs. The apparent disconnect prompted us to dig deeper to understand what’s really going on.
There are several factors that are likely in play. For one, our survey also found that many organizations rely on their mobility service partners’ technology, are prioritizing investing in enhancements to their existing systems over new technology or are still developing their own relocation-related tech strategy internally. Things like industry sectors, decentralized operating or different governance models, budgets, sizes of mobility programs and company cultures will also certainly influence where a company is on its AI journey. Indeed, our very understanding of exactly what we mean by AI and how it’s applied to mobility can differ significantly from one organization to another. Of those GM teams who are using it, many reported merely deploying it to record and summarize meetings, enhance communications, or answer routine questions, while some are looking to it to help analyze large sets of complex data.
The hidden problem of data fragmentation
“AI’s power is only as good as the data that goes into informing it.”
That last usage indicator brings us to an important point, and one we believe is perhaps the most significant driving factor behind mobility’s slower adoption rates: AI’s power is only as good as the data that goes into informing it. Many global mobility programs operate with fragmented information and data sources, presenting a significant hurdle to overcome. Not only is achieving optimal alignment between mobility and other areas of the business internally an ongoing challenge, but, very often, information is siloed across different external service providers, regions and systems too. This all makes achieving genuine visibility into the program and identifying opportunities for strategic enhancements difficult, if not impossible.
While business leaders are unquestionably under constant pressure to adopt new technologies, reduce costs and find operational efficiencies, mobility professionals would be well-advised to focus first on what’s happening one layer below AI: achieving true connectivity and integration. The complexity of moving talent across borders safely, efficiently and compliantly involves multiple skills and vast global and local knowledge about frequently changing market conditions and regulations. The current evolution of how, when and where work gets done—layered with ongoing geopolitical challenges and uncertainties—only demands even more highly nuanced levels of understanding and expertise. Few, if any, organizations can truly master and deliver the entire global mobility process alone.
“Mobility professionals would be well-advised to focus first on what’s happening one layer below AI: achieving true connectivity and integration.”
With or without AI, incomplete data still equates to nothing more than guesswork
The key is to get all the necessary parties that are required for a successful talent mobility ecosystem to be genuinely connected to and speaking with one another. The solution for making the most of the technology available to us now to enhance the mobility experience is less about the tools themselves, or racing to invest in and embrace the latest and greatest new thing, and more about taking the time to connect all the right sources to share the right information at the right time.
Focus on ease first and intelligence will follow
That all sounds good in theory, right, but with so many different systems, service providers, teams, regions and the evolving security and compliance risks, how do you get there in practice? It all comes down to the application programming interface, or API. Now, stay with me, because you don’t have to be an IT or programming guru to know how APIs can make your life easier. Some powerful analogies compare them to messengers or restaurant menus and waitstaffs, because they essentially consist of a set of facts, rules, definitions and protocols that make communicating requests and delivering the desired outcomes easier between all parties. For the global HR and talent mobility industry, a better analogy might be a translator, who is highly skilled at understanding what one party is looking for, interpreting it and delivering it to another party (application) and returning the appropriate response in a way that is equally understood by all.
With so many inter-dependent tasks that must happen along the employee relocation journey – think determining visa and immigration eligibility, establishing compliant tax, payroll and benefit protocols, identifying housing and family needs, coordinating destination services and move dates, just to name a few – removing friction points is critical. Having solid and secure APIs in place – and the real-time, bi-directional data exchange that they facilitate – enables the necessary communications, workflows, outcomes and reporting that make the process as simple and clear as possible. Simplicity, clarity and accuracy are the foundational ingredients to making the most of AI, followed by the human expertise and emotional intelligence it takes to understand and act on what the data is telling us.
The next chapter in the mobility AI story
Despite the seemingly low adoption rates of AI within internal corporate mobility programs, there are certainly many ways in which the global relocation service community is currently successfully embracing AI to improve the employee experience and enhance delivery. But before we can get to the next level of a truly transformative experience, using it to inform talent mobility strategy overall, we first need to focus on getting the connectivity and integrations across all the members of the ecosystem right.
This article was originally published in the Summer 2026 issue of International HR Adviser magazine
