Chief People Officer Claire Borelli shares how a collaboration between HR and digital operations has transformed TIAA’s approach to AI adoption.

By Maggie Mancini

AI is reshaping the workforce, redefining roles, and shifting what it means to be productive at work. As organizations navigate an ever-changing regulatory landscape, designing comprehensive, ethical AI policies and procedures is imperative. Still, AI policies tend to lag behind employee or executive use. For Claire Borelli, chief people officer at financial services provider TIAA, AI’s success in the future of work depends on integrating operations with HR strategy.

Borelli says that her collaboration with Sastry Durvasula, chief operating, information, and digital offer at TIAA, has been pivotal in shaping the organization’s approach to AI. “We share a core conviction,” she says, “that meaningful transformation requires AI and people working together, not AI as a standalone technology but as a catalyst for holistic change.”  

Together, the pair launched two initiatives— “APEX” and “ELEVATE”—to position the company to thrive in a technology-driven future and empower employees to excel within it. The partnership has been vital in moving TIAA towards becoming an “AI-first” enterprise, Durvasula says. When the CIO and CPO roles are fully aligned, the business can move beyond traditional implementation models to put AI into the hands of employees at scale.  

“From streamlining complex financial question resolution to enhancing digital experiences, our AI-first capabilities are driving efficiency and innovation across the enterprise operations,” Durvasula says. “We’re making faster, more informed decisions about technology investments with an integrated approach to business, operational, and people outcomes.” 

The result, Durvasula explains, is an AI road map that strengthens TIAA’s competitive position while building a more capable, confident workforce for the future.  

Central to this approach, Borelli says, is TIAA’s employee-first AI philosophy—positioning the workforce as both beneficiaries and drivers of change, rather than letting fear define the narrative around AI. This approach ensures that as the company advances technologically, it remains invested in the growth, confidence, and capabilities of the company’s workforce.  

“Our partnership evolved our perspective from viewing AI as a mere technical implementation to embracing it as transformation touching every facet of our business and workforce,” Borelli says. “This philosophy guided our development of ‘MYGAIT,’ TIAA’s proprietary AI tools we introduced to associates last year to enhance their capabilities while maintaining human oversight at the center of critical processes.” 

Centering Employee Experience 

TIAA’s people-first AI philosophy treats AI as a co-pilot in the workplace, Borelli says. To ensure alignment between the company’s technology and people strategy, Borelli and Durvasula have embedded employees with deep technical expertise directly into HR teams. This bridges capability with organizational culture and breaks down silos, she says.  

In addition to building AI fluency across the organization, Borelli says TIAA is doubling down on career growth by establishing competency baselines, offering tailored learning opportunities, expanding internal mobility programs, and introducing gig-based experimental learning.  

“By putting associates at the center of our AI strategy, we’re transforming both how work gets done and what’s possible for every career at TIAA,” she says. “This is a future built with our people, for our people, where technology empowers growth, learning, and opportunity at every step.”  

As more workplaces embed AI technology into their daily operations, employee concerns about the potential for job displacement have ticked up. While AI will reshape certain roles as the technology progresses, Borelli says that TIAA views this shift as an opportunity—not a threat—to reimagine work in aways that empower employees.  

“We’re taking a strategic approach by conducting systematic evaluations to identify where AI can enhance role effectiveness and productivity,” Borelli says. “Our focus is on augmenting human capabilities, not replacing them. This means creating new roles, evolving skill sets, and unlocking more meaningful work.”  

Redefining Talent 

TIAA is shifting its thinking around talent, turning a static, role-based model into a work-first mindset, Borelli says. By focusing on outcomes rather than traditional job definitions, HR leaders can improve productivity and innovation. This allows employees—including HR professionals—to explore a broader range of solutions to workforce challenges, including automation, AI, global talent pools, and flexible assignment models.  

“As AI takes on more routine tasks, qualities like empathy, resilience, and collaboration become even more essential,” Borelli says. “This dual focus on innovation and humanity positions HR not just as a support function, but as a strategic driver of transformation.” 

For HR leaders looking to strengthen their organization’s AI transformation, Borelli says that it’s important to consider the following.  

• Don’t reach for the easy button. Rather than searching for the “easy” solution, Borelli believes HR leaders should look for opportunities to lead with intention. “AI is evolving rapidly, and its impact on how work gets done is undeniable,” she says. “The most important step HR leaders can take today is to reframe how they think about talent strategy in collaboration with their peers across the business.”  

• Forge strong, cross-functional partnerships with technology leaders. At TIAA, Borelli and Durvasula’s partnership has transformed the way the organization evaluates roles and workforce needs, she says. “We’re conducting joint evaluations to identify where AI can drive productivity and elevate the employee experience,” Borelli adds.  

• Deploy talent with purpose. To lead effectively in this new era, HR should maximize tech investments, lead with resilience, and invest in people, Borelli says.  

“It’s natural to feel like your team is navigating constant change,” Borelli says. “This isn’t something to resist; it’s something to embrace. Change is where growth lives. By embracing AI with thoughtfulness and purpose, we’re building a more innovative, resilient organization that delivers greater value to our participants while creating fulfilling work experiences for our people.”