Designing the AI-Enabled Frontline: Human and Machine at Work

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Stephanie Tsales, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at InStride; Vicki Greene, Chief Growth Officer at Pace AI; Lisa Schumacher, Director of Education Strategies and Workforce Policy at McDonald’s Corporation; Raphael Rosenblatt, Chief Portfolio Officer at Workforce Edge; and Alex Swartsel, Associate Vice President at Jobs for the Future (JFF).The speakers explored how AI was reshaping frontline work faster than any other part of the labor market, increasing the leverage, judgment, and impact of every frontline role while raising the stakes for how organizations designed and supported these jobs. They examined how, as routine tasks were automated and copilots became embedded in daily workflows, frontline roles were shifting from task-based positions to role-based careers that required continuous learning and growth.This session focused on how organizations could enable real-time, workflow-embedded training; build modern vocational pathways that supported retention and progression; and put education benefits and mobility infrastructure in place so frontline roles did not become dead ends. Panelists examined how these shifts were redefining what frontline work looked like in 2026 and what employers needed to build immediately to ensure resilience, performance, and sustained opportunity.At its core, this conversation explored how leaders could design AI-enabled frontline systems where human capability and machine intelligence worked together—creating more adaptive, future-ready roles while expanding career mobility and long-term workforce success.