Octave Intelligence plc, a global leader in software for the world's mission critical facilities and infrastructure, released a new research report that sheds light on how industrial organizations are navigating a rapidly changing workforce in the age of AI. The report surveyed more than 750 industrial leaders to better understand the challenges industrial organizations are facing and how these organizations are adapting to a rapidly changing workforce environment.
Octave's survey found that widespread retirements and workforce shortages continue to present challenges to fill key roles and capture legacy expertise, all while AI is reshaping what the future workforce will look like, and the skills needed to succeed.
Some key takeaways from Octave's research reveal that as industrial organizations face a wave of retirements and workforce shortages, 7 in 10 say they are not retaining the knowledge that will matter most for future operations, creating significant risk to continuity and decision-making.
34% of organizations cite having the technology but failing to upskill the workforce to use it as the biggest risk they face over the next five years, highlighting that workforce readiness is outpacing concerns about AI adoption itself. 47% of respondents say core processes are recorded, but the nuanced know-how remains undocumented.
"Many organizations are facing workforce challenges that illustrate the messy – but exciting – opportunity of where technology can play a transformational role in the future of operations," said Octave Chief Product Officer Jay Allardyce, "These findings make it clear: technology alone cannot solve these problems. People and their routines are at the heart of any successful operation and tools that capture and connect institutional knowledge with operational data can have a significant impact for these facilities."
Beyond how companies are using digital worker solutions to capture knowledge, the survey also looked at broader attitudes of frontline workers on the impact of AI in operations. The top two frontline concerns cited related to safety risks if AI makes an error at 26% as well as a lack of trust in an AI system's unexplained decisions at 25%. Additionally, more than a fifth of respondents at 21% said the primary source of AI anxiety in frontline workers came from the fear of losing their status as an expert in the organization.
45% of respondents are turning to AI-powered tools such as digital twins and behavioral analysis platforms to capture, store and organize critical knowledge.
The survey also gave clues to what industrial leaders see as the potential future worker: the hybrid industrial worker. Less a narrow technical expert and more an agile orchestrator that connects digital intelligence with physical execution. The respondents emphasized that future workers will depend on big-picture skills to be successful. Skills including systems thinking and communications ranked highest and most valuable for future workers, while technical skills, such as engineering and data science ranked last. 36% of respondents cite systems thinking as the highest value area of study for current students to succeed in the future industrial environment.
The survey was conducted among a sample of 756 respondents across North America, South America, Europe, Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. Respondents were technology decision makers for organizations with $1b+ in revenue that operate industrial facilities in the manufacturing, oil & gas, chemical, power and pharmaceutical industries. The data was collected between April 14 and May 1, 2026.
About Octave
Octave provides mission-critical software that empowers organizations to make informed decisions across every stage of the asset lifecycle Design, Build, Operate and Protect where performance, safety, and reliability are non-negotiable and failure is not an option. Turning complex operational data into actionable intelligence, Octave connects expertise, real-world conditions and enterprise-scale insight to improve performance, resilience and incident response where it matters most.
