Will AI replace jobs at Lincoln companies?

Common questions from Lincoln leaders

Are Lincoln companies actually replacing employees with AI?

The pattern is role redesign, not replacement. SHRM's 2026 State of AI in HR found AI's organizational impact is 5.7 times more likely to shift responsibilities than to displace jobs (in the deployed-AI subset). Locally, Nelnet rolled out Copilot to thousands of staff and built an AI internship track — augmentation and pipeline development, not replacement. Ameritas is hiring AI engineers in the $84–142K range. The University of Nebraska AI Institute (launched February 2026) is positioning the state for AI-skilled workforce development.

Which Lincoln roles change first?

Document-heavy and intake-heavy work — claims and policy correspondence at Ameritas-class insurers, financial aid processing at Nelnet, content tagging in Hudl-style media operations, and first-pass document review in legal/CPA practices. The work doesn't disappear; the human role moves from drafting to reviewing and approving.

What about junior roles?

AI tools often automate the same first-draft tasks used to train new hires — and Lincoln's pipeline depends on UNL graduates entering local employers. The companies that handle this well design an apprenticeship layer: junior staff review AI output rather than draft it themselves, and learn judgment by exception.

How should we communicate this to staff?

Lead with the people narrative before the technology roadmap. Gartner's 2026 CHRO research found organizations that adapt change plans based on employee feedback are 4x more likely to achieve change success. The narrative needs to be specific — what changes for me, what stays the same, what does my role look like in 12 months — not generic reassurance.