Pension organisations risk creating a skills gap if investment in technology is not matched by investment in professional expertise, the Pensions Management Institute has warned.
Speaking at the PMI’s PensTech & Admin Summit 2026, PMI chief strategy officer Helen Forrest Hall said the growing use of artificial intelligence and automation was increasing the need for skilled and professionally accountable pensions professionals.
She said, as technology takes on a greater role in administration and decision-making, the industry must retain the expertise needed to challenge automated outputs, identify incomplete data and take responsibility for decisions affecting members.
Forrest Hall urged pension organisations to assess whether their teams have the skills needed for the next decade, whether governance structures adequately reflect emerging technologies and whether the industry is developing its next generation of professionals quickly enough.
She warned that failing to invest in professional capability at the same pace as technology could create a skills gap that becomes increasingly difficult to close.
Forrest Hall says: “As technology becomes more sophisticated, the need for professional expertise becomes greater, not less.
“Technology investment without people investment creates risk. People investment without technology investment creates limitation. The future requires both.
“Pensions professionals need greater expertise to oversee them, challenge them and use them responsibly. If we fail to build that capability now, the gap will become harder to close.
“The future of pensions will not be decided by technology alone. It will be decided by the people who know how to use that technology wisely, responsibly and effectively.”
