Will AI strengthen or weaken our commitment to human dignity?
December arrives each year with a particular kind of intensity. For some, it’s a season of celebration – a time marked by cultural traditions, acts of generosity, and moments of togetherness. For others, it’s a month filled with quiet pressure: the weight of unspoken expectations, reminders of personal loss, the complexity of navigating holidays you may or may not observe, and the emotional reckoning that comes with year-end.
It is a month that holds multitudes—joy and grief, belonging and loneliness, clarity and uncertainty. It’s a time when many employees carry more than they say aloud. Because of all that, December offers organizations an important invitation: to see each person as they are, with empathy and without assumption.
This makes December an especially meaningful backdrop for Universal Human Rights Month, a time to reflect on the inherent dignity and rights of every individual. In the age of artificial intelligence, this observance takes on new resonance. Technologies are evolving faster than the cultural norms and workplace practices meant to support them. As algorithms increasingly influence hiring decisions, learning pathways, leadership development, and daily workflow, a central question emerges:
The human rights questions of our time
AI promises remarkable efficiencies, new ways of learning, and unprecedented personalization. But as these technologies accelerate, they also surface some of the most essential human questions of our time.
- How do we ensure technology does not quietly replicate the inequities of the past?
- How do we uphold fairness, privacy, and transparency in systems shaped by data rather than dialogue?
- How do we build digital tools that expand opportunity rather than narrow it?
These questions are not theoretical. They touch the emotional, cultural, and psychological realities people navigate every day at work. They remind us that human rights are not fixed or distant — they are living commitments that must evolve alongside our tools, habits, and systems. They require attentiveness, humility, and care.
Workplaces have become the places where these commitments are felt most immediately. They are where innovation meets human experience, where accountability and compassion intersect, and where people feel both the possibilities and pressures of a rapidly changing technological world. In many ways, workplace culture is now the frontline of human dignity in the digital age.
December as a cultural mirror
December is the one month when the diversity of our lived experiences becomes especially visible and, for many, especially tender. Some celebrate with joy. Others face grief. Others feel disconnected from traditions they’re expected to participate in. For some individuals, for example, those with strained family relationships, people experiencing loss, or those navigating exhaustion, December can carry emotional weight that remains hidden.
And yet, this complexity is precisely where our shared humanity is revealed.
This month includes observances such as World AIDS Day, International Day of People with Disabilities, Giving Tuesday, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and numerous cultural milestones. Each shapes how individuals enter this season.
During our recent Future of Work Club gathering, members shared honestly about these layers: the financial pressure, emotional labor, and expectations many people quietly navigate. One organization shared how they remind employees they are never required to participate in holiday gift exchanges or potlucks; a simple but powerful act of inclusion. Another speaker noted that acknowledging December’s emotional complexity helps employees feel seen in ways that transcend policy.
Even in our own OpenSesame full team meeting, our President, Josh Blank, closed with a heartfelt reminder: December impacts people differently. For some, it is joyful. For others, it may be painful. And for many, it is both. As leaders, he emphasized, our responsibility is not to assume the season looks or feels the same for every person, but to create space where people feel supported, respected, and safe in whatever they are carrying. He ended by reminding us that no one has to navigate this time alone and that he is only ‘a phone call away’ if anyone needs support. It was a powerful demonstration of what human-centered leadership looks like in practice.
That is workplace culture in action.
That is human rights in everyday leadership.
That is the Future of Work.
Human rights, culture, and the future of work
Universal Human Rights Month reminds us that protecting dignity in the workplace is not just about formal policies, it’s about presence and:
- How we lead meetings
- How we design tools
- How we create learning opportunities
- How we deliver feedback
- How we honor boundaries
- How we make space for perspectives shaped by identity, history, and lived experience
Workplace culture is no longer a “soft” concept. It is a strategic ecosystem that shapes how people understand their rights, their worth, and their opportunity to thrive; especially as AI and emerging technologies reshape work.
And this brings us to a guiding truth behind OpenSesame’s evolving vision:
The future of work is human.
Technology can automate tasks.
But it cannot build trust.
It can organize information.
But it cannot create belonging.
It can optimize processes.
But it cannot determine what is right.
That responsibility remains ours: the humans who choose how technology is designed, implemented, and understood.
A learning pathway for reflection and action
To deepen this month of reflection, I curated the December Workplace Culture Holidays & Observances Learning Path – a collection designed to encourage awareness, spark dialogue, and strengthen the practices that sustain dignity and belonging at work.
This collection is both an invitation and a resource. It offers employees and leaders a way to return – with openness, curiosity, and compassion – to what it means to be part of a workplace community grounded in respect.
Your December invitation
As the year comes to an end, Universal Human Rights Month encourages us to reflect not just on our achievements, but on our evolution — as individuals, as teams, and as cultures shaped by technology and human experience.
The question is no longer whether AI will reshape the future of work.
It is whether we will allow it to reshape us away from what matters most.
- Human dignity
- Fairness
- Safety
- Belonging
- Voice
- Care
This December, may our workplaces reflect not only the promise of technological innovation, but the enduring strength of our shared humanity. And may we enter the new year grounded in practices that allow every person — in every role — to thrive.
About the author
Liza Mucheru Wisner is an award-winning talent development expert, author, keynote speaker, and globally recognized leader in AI, automation, and workplace culture. She curates transformative learning experiences that fuse human insight with intelligent automation – preparing organizations for the next era of work. Liza’s work has earned global recognition, including multiple SHRM Excellence Awards, and her voice has been featured across stages, media platforms, and boardrooms worldwide. With degrees in computer science and educational technology, she has spent her career at the forefront of people and innovation – helping organizations reimagine how to grow, thrive, and lead in a rapidly changing world. A strategist, change agent, and advocate for equity in the age of AI, Liza continues to shape the future of learning, leadership, and meaningful work.