Why AI Will Change How People Get Paid (and what HR must fix first)

In this episode of our On The Road series, we sit down with Ken Wechsler, VP, Total Rewards at Akamai Technologies, to explore how AI is changing the conversation around rewards, recognition, performance, and the future of work.

As a total rewards leader, Ken is now facing questions that would have seemed unlikely just a few years ago: What is our AI strategy? What outcomes are we trying to drive? How will AI change productivity, performance, and how people are rewarded?

His message is clear: AI skills alone should not automatically mean higher pay. The real question is whether AI helps people deliver better outcomes, raise performance, create more value, and help the business move forward.

🎓 In this episode, we get into:

1. Why the real question is not AI usage, but whether AI improves outcomes
2. Why AI is forcing rewards leaders to rethink how performance is measured
3. Why being proficient in Gemini or Copilot should not automatically mean higher pay
4. How Akamai is connecting recognition, trust, and performance in a remote-first company
5. How rewards teams can use AI to move from manual analysis to strategic business partnering

🙏 Thank you to our partner, Workhuman

Discover how Workhuman helps organizations turn recognition into real business impact, building stronger cultures, more connected teams, and better visibility into the people driving performance.

✅ Learn more about Workhuman → https://www.workhuman.com/

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