Industry 5.0 puts the focus back on people, says this expert, and poses the question: how do we use technology to create more meaningful, humane workplaces?
When I first started working in technology, the conversation about “smart” workplaces was filled with optimism. We imagined offices that would anticipate our needs, balance energy efficiency with comfort, and create safer, more productive environments.
A decade ago, heat maps of office usage promised to help us place desks more strategically and design quieter working areas. These innovations seemed exciting because they were in service of people – not just productivity.
But as the years passed, many of these technologies were co-opted for control rather than care.
In the UK, some companies began using location and sensor data as a kind of virtual punch-card system, tracking when employees sat down at their desks and how long they stayed.
This is where we must pause and ask: what is the purpose of technology in the workplace? If it is not making us happier, safer, or more productive, then why do we need it?
As HR leaders, you sit at the critical intersection where emerging technology meets human experience. The choices you make now will determine whether these tools become empowering enablers or instruments of surveillance and distrust.
1. Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0: shifting the focus back to people
We’ve spent the past two decades enthralled by the promises of Industry 4.0: automation, sensors, AI, robotics. But the future is moving into Industry 5.0, which places the emphasis back on people. It asks: how do we use technology to create meaningful, humane workplaces?
Consider flexible working. The conversation today is not just about where people work, but how we design spaces that enable choice. Some employees thrive in quiet, tech-free zones. Others want collaboration pods, vibrant colour or informal meeting spaces.
The future office is not about maximising efficiency at every turn. It is about maximising fit for purpose. Technology should support flexibility, not dictate it.
A crucial lesson for HR and workplace leaders is that technology does not remove the need for human judgment. In fact, it elevates it. Every tool – from sensors to AI platforms – must be interrogated. I always encourage people to ask this question: is this technology serving the people, or merely serving the machine?
2. The Internet of Bodies: a new frontier
The next wave of technology moves us beyond the Internet of Things into what I call the Internet of Bodies. Many of you are already familiar with wearables like Fitbits or smartwatches. But this is only the beginning.
We are entering an era where clothing can be embedded with electronics, tattoos may double as health monitors, and earbuds can authenticate identity by measuring your pulse.
Biometric data – from gait patterns to retinal scans – will become key identifiers. Some organisations are already piloting systems that can recognise people without even seeing their faces, by the way they walk.
This raises extraordinary opportunities and profound risks. On the one hand, gait analysis will prove revolutionary in the medical industry, as it could be used to detect early signs of conditions like Parkinson’s disease years before diagnosis. On the other, some companies are already selling aggregated biometric data to third parties for use in financial profiling.
The ethical stakes here are enormous. I cannot stress this enough: never coerce employees into handing over biometric data. In 2019 in Queensland, a worker successfully sued his employer after being forced to use a fingerprint scanner to clock on. Collecting such information not only raises privacy concerns, it also risks eroding trust, one of the most precious commodities in any organisation.
“HR must be the conscience of the organisation, ensuring human dignity remains at the centre of every decision.”
3. Digital doppelgängers and hyper-observation
The concept of the “digital doppelgänger” illustrates the scale of this challenge. Every piece of data collected about you – where you shop, what you eat, how often you travel, how tired you look – contributes to a shadow version of yourself in a corporate database.
These doppelgängers are already being sold, traded and used to make decisions about employment, finance and insurance.
For HR practitioners, this poses a double risk. First, organisations may inadvertently rely on flawed or biased data in hiring and promotion decisions. Second, employees may begin to feel constantly observed, which has a chilling effect on creativity and wellbeing. As any psychologist will tell you, the observed behave differently simply because they are observed.
The lesson here is clear. As HR leaders, you must champion responsible governance of employee data. This means asking hard questions about vendors, insisting on transparency, and ensuring employees know how their information will be used.
4. Unearthing hidden potential
One of the most exciting promises of technology is its ability to help us see people differently. For too long, organisations have hired based on degrees or rigid job descriptions. But the reality is far richer.
I often describe career paths not as a pipeline but as a London Underground map. Someone with a classics degree might also have an untapped aptitude for coding. Another employee may have quietly developed cybersecurity skills as a hobby. Yet traditional HR processes often trap them on one “line” of the map, never exploring the potential for transfers.
AI, when applied responsibly, can help uncover these hidden skills. A powerful example comes from an Australian organisation, WithYouWithMe, that began mapping the transferable skills of veterans. By analysing their capabilities, it was able to redirect them into cyber-security roles with great success.
For HR, the message is to start building internal skills databases. Look beyond formal qualifications. Capture what people can do, not just what their role title suggests. Think less about linear pipelines and more about multi-directional pathways.
Practical advice for HR leaders
So, what should HR leaders do with all of this information? Let me leave you with five practical imperatives:
- Interrogate the technology. Never accept a vendor’s promises at face value. Test tools in controlled environments, invite diverse perspectives into the evaluation process and always ask: who benefits from this data?
- Protect employee trust. Do not coerce biometric data collection. If employees choose to share health information via wearables, ensure policies clearly outline what is collected, how it is stored and how it will (and will not) be used.
- Build a skills-first culture. Use technology to create internal databases that map skills, experiences and interests. Use AI to augment – not replace – human judgment in identifying hidden potential.
- Champion flexibility. Support the creation of workplaces that accommodate diverse needs: tech-free zones, vibrant collaboration areas and flexible work-from-home policies. Productivity is personal, and technology should serve that reality.
- Maintain ethical vigilance. Remember that technology is not neutral. Bias is baked into algorithms, and surveillance can quickly become oppressive. HR must be the conscience of the organisation, ensuring human dignity remains at the centre of every decision.
The Obi-Wan moment for HR
When Star Wars was first released in 1977, IBM had a statement on its walls: “A machine must never be allowed to make a decision, because a machine can never be held accountable for a decision.” That remains as true today as it was back then.
Think of yourself as Obi-Wan Kenobi for your organisation. Your role is not to reject technology but to guide it wisely. AI, wearables and immersive tools can enrich our work lives in extraordinary ways, but only if we place human needs first.
Every industrial revolution has created more jobs than it has displaced. The challenge now is to ensure the jobs we create are worthy of people’s talents, ambitions and humanity. HR sits at the nexus of this transformation. You hold the responsibility – and the opportunity – to shape a future where technology truly serves people, not the other way around.
So interrogate. Experiment. Protect. And above all, remember that the ultimate form of rebellion in an age of algorithms is to act unexpectedly – to bring the human spark that no machine can replicate.
Adjunct Professor Dr Catherine Ball is a company director, author and futurist working across global projects where emerging technologies meet humanitarian, education and environmental needs. She was a speaker at AHRI’s 2025 National Convention and Exhibition earlier this year.
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