30 Apr At the Crossroads: How AI is Transforming Global Mobility

Business leaders in global mobility are at a critical inflection point with AI. On one path lies understandable skepticism and hesitation. On the other lies transformative potential that is already reshaping how organizations deploy international talent.

The global mobility function has traditionally been burdened by administrative complexity, fragmented processes, and lengthy deployment timelines. Today, leading organizations leveraging AI agents are reporting deployment time reductions of 50-70%, significantly enhancing their ability to move critical talent where it’s needed most.

According to PwC’s 2025 AI Business Predictions, “AI is already boosting revenue and reshaping industries. Within the next 12 to 24 months, AI agents are expected to revolutionize how businesses operate, enabling companies to make strategic moves at a pace and magnitude previously unimaginable.” For global mobility, this has profound implications.

Forward-thinking mobility teams are moving beyond piecemeal automation to implement comprehensive ecosystems of specialized AI agents orchestrated through central platforms. Each agent handles a specific assignment component—immigration compliance, housing, tax implications, cultural adaptation—while working in concert to deliver seamless experiences.

Microsoft’s research demonstrates that organizations leveraging AI for business transformation are achieving significant ROI through time savings and improved productivity. For global mobility functions, these gains are particularly pronounced given the traditionally labor-intensive nature of assignment management.

What makes these systems so effective is that they don’t simply automate existing processes—they reimagine them entirely. As PwC’s 2025 AI predictions highlight, top-performing companies are moving beyond isolated AI use cases to align their AI implementation with broader strategic objectives.

The transformed assignment journey

Consider the traditional international assignment process: extensive paperwork, multiple department approvals, and weeks of preparation. A senior engineer being deployed from Europe to Asia might face:

• Immigration processes requiring dozens of document submissions
• Housing searches conducted through multiple local agencies
• Complex tax assessments with unclear financial implications
• Family support arrangements requiring multiple stakeholders

With an AI-powered mobility ecosystem, this journey transforms:

• Immigration agents analyze requirements, qualification documents, and current processing times at destination immigration offices
• Housing agents match available options to preferences and company policies
• Tax agents simulate financial implications of assignments and identify optimization opportunities
• Family support agents recommend appropriate solutions based on similar cases

McKinsey’s State of AI survey from March 2025 reveals that organizations are increasingly managing the time saved through AI automation by assigning employees to entirely new activities or allowing more time for non-automated responsibilities. For mobility professionals, this means focusing on strategic talent planning and meaningful human connections rather than drowning in logistics.

What makes leading companies’ approach to AI in mobility particularly effective is their balance between global standardization and local customization. Google Cloud’s research on AI’s impact across industries indicates that successful companies are building increasingly sophisticated AI agents that support efficient business operations while tailoring experiences to specific contexts.

This human-AI partnership is especially valuable during regulatory changes affecting expatriate work permits. Advanced systems can flag changes immediately, cross-reference them with active assignments, and generate tailored compliance recommendations for each affected employee.

The International Monetary Fund has highlighted concerns that AI adoption varies significantly between advanced and developing economies, potentially worsening inequality among nations if not managed thoughtfully. Leading global mobility functions are addressing this by ensuring their AI systems empower local teams in emerging markets rather than replacing them.

Microsoft’s research on unlocking AI’s global potential notes that the cost of querying advanced AI models has fallen by more than 99% between 2022 and 2024, creating new opportunities for innovators in low-resource regions to apply AI to local challenges. Forward-thinking organizations are partnering with local tech startups in emerging markets to develop specialized mobility solutions adapted to regional needs.

Building AI-ready mobility teams

The World Economic Forum has found that only 2% of firms are prepared for large-scale AI adoption, with comprehensive workforce strategies including talent transformation being essential for building an AI-ready culture. Leading mobility functions are investing heavily in developing what some call an “AI skill pyramid”:

• AI Aware: All employees receive basic AI literacy training
• AI Builders: Mobility professionals develop advanced capabilities in working alongside AI agents
• AI Masters: Specialists continually refine and enhance the company’s AI systems

This skills transformation represents a shift in how organizations think about global mobility itself—from a logistical function to a strategic advantage.

Measurable impact and looking ahead

Organizations implementing comprehensive AI transformation in their mobility functions are reporting impressive metrics:

• Assignment satisfaction scores increasing by 30-40%
• Unexpected repatriations decreasing by up to 45%
• Knowledge transfer from expatriates to local teams improving by 25-30%
• Carbon emissions related to mobility reducing by 20-25% through optimized travel and housing arrangements

McKinsey’s research from January 2025 indicates that while almost all companies are investing in AI, only 1% consider themselves mature in deployment with AI fully integrated into workflows and driving substantial business outcomes. The leading mobility functions are part of this elite group.

However, the journey is far from complete. According to the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Work Change Report, by 2030 approximately 70% of the skills used in most jobs will change due to AI acceleration. Mobility functions must continuously evolve their capabilities.

The transformation of global mobility through AI isn’t just about moving people faster or more efficiently. It’s about reimagining how global talent can flow to opportunities, how international experiences can be made more accessible and sustainable, and how human potential can be unlocked at a truly global scale. Leading organizations aren’t just adapting to the future of work—they’re helping to create it.