When Data Meets Reality: Global Mobility Leaders Navigate the AI Revolution

Our latest Global Heads Huddle tackled perhaps the most pressing challenge facing mobility leaders today: how do you transform data chaos into compelling leadership narratives, all whilst AI fundamentally reshapes what our teams actually do?

The Manual Labour Paradox

We opened with three polls that painted a fascinating picture. When asked about their biggest data challenge, a resounding 60% pointed to manual processes - not fragmented data, not compliance risks, but the sheer time-consuming grind of gathering, reformatting, and presenting information. Yet intriguingly, when rating their confidence in data quality, 67% gave themselves a middling score of 3 out of 5, with another 20% at 4.

The insight here was revealing: members aren't worried about data accuracy - they're exhausted by the effort required to make it sing. Data sits scattered across immigration platforms, tax vendor systems, and assignment management tools, requiring considerable manual effort to compile into something coherent. As one member brilliantly put it using a Dutch expression, we need to "turn it into chocolate" - and the flavour of that chocolate entirely depends on the stakeholder receiving it.

The AI Elephant in the Room

What made this session particularly powerful was the group's refreshingly honest conversation about AI's impact on our profession. Members are actively exploring tools like Co-Pilot - but with careful oversight and mandatory review of outputs, particularly for compliance and tax guidance. The approach is pragmatic: use AI to identify potential answers, then confirm with expert vendors, potentially reducing costs in the process.

Some are developing custom AI agents for in-house use, streamlining repetitive tasks and providing initial consultations. One member witnessed a successful demonstration of an AI agent filing posted worker notifications in real time - the kind of automation that genuinely changes the game.

But here's where the conversation became uncomfortable yet necessary: members acknowledged that chatbots and agents will soon triage most HR-related questions, and "it's not a far-flung future." One organisation is already undergoing complete team restructuring into strategy and operations functions. Another mentioned a new "front door" system for HR being developed to answer most employee questions within months.

The sentiment in the room was clear: we need to be honest about AI's impact on the workforce and the urgent need to upskill our teams rather than deflecting with vague promises.

What Data Can't Capture

One highly valuable thread was the discussion around what dashboards fundamentally miss: strategic consultancy, relationship building, the human aspect of relocation, and professional judgement. Experienced leaders make risk-comfort decisions based on practical experience rather than strict legislation or what data suggests on paper.

When asked about their dream dashboard, members described something agile and adaptable, simple yet comprehensive - an ecosystem view combining travel data, corporate tax assessments, even carbon footprint tracking. As one member perfectly articulated: "GM is like an octopus with tentacles in all the pies."

Real-World Immigration Updates

The Any-Other-Business section demonstrated the broad responsibilities of this community! Members shared detailed approaches to communicating ETA and EES requirements across multiple channels - corporate tax teams, travel departments, executive assistants, and direct employee communications. On US H-1B changes, members are taking a longer-term strategic view: relying less on US immigration overall and reassessing global location strategies. And concerning potential UK ILR changes extending requirements to 10 years, members are watching closely whilst vendors admit they don't yet have clarity on which direction policy might go.

The Uncomfortable Truth

This session highlighted a fundamental tension: members have confidence in their data quality yet face significant burden transforming it into strategic narratives. Manual processes - not data accuracy - emerged as the primary challenge. But more significantly, the group confronted honestly that AI will reshape team structures, and leaders need to address this directly.

The irreplaceable value of professional judgement and strategic consultancy remains - those aspects that don't appear in dashboards but drive real organisational value. Members balance data-driven decision-making with experience-based intuition, particularly in immigration matters where practical judgement often matters as much as policy on paper.

It's this combination of pragmatic AI adoption, unflinching honesty about its implications, and commitment to the uniquely human aspects of our work that marks out true leadership in global mobility today. Thanks to everyone who made this such a rich, honest conversation. Until next time!

This session is just one taste of the senior peer-to-peer knowledge exchange happening in our Global Heads Huddles. Feeling a bit of FOMO? For more information about joining our community of GM leaders, drop me a line! greg@expat-academy.com