{"id":755,"date":"2024-05-31T10:11:26","date_gmt":"2024-05-31T09:11:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sense.hr\/blog\/?p=755"},"modified":"2025-09-27T07:13:52","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T06:13:52","slug":"what-does-ai-mean-for-hr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/senseworkplace.com\/blog\/what-does-ai-mean-for-hr\/","title":{"rendered":"What does AI mean for HR?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cHR doesn\u2019t have a clue about AI.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is what one HR consultant told me, when we discussed the topic a few weeks ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not that they\u2019re incapable of understanding<\/em>\u201d they clarified, \u201cit\u2019s just that they\u2019re not particularly interested in machines \u2013 they\u2019re more interested in people.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does HR really have no clue about AI?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That position may seem a little extreme. After all, HR professionals are some of the most switched-on people I\u2019ve ever worked with. And considering that the word AI has basically infiltrated every job role, every industry, and every damn conversation, since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, it would be a bit of a stretch to say that HR \u201cdon\u2019t have a clue\u201d about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, I can\u2019t help but agree with the statement in part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure, I\u2019ve spoken to HR professionals who are super into the potential of AI. But at the same time, I\u2019ve spoken to plenty of HR professionals who really couldn\u2019t give a crap about how well a chatbot can hold a human-like conversation. And when you really think about it, why would they?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is AI just another buzzword?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy to think of \u201cAI\u201d as a buzzword:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Its popularity exploded from nowhere<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Companies and influencers are exploiting it for clout<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. It is constantly mis-used by people who don\u2019t understand it<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    And if there\u2019s one thing that\u2019s true of most HR professionals, it\u2019s that they aren\u2019t particularly interested in buzzwords. In fact, HR managers have been getting irritated by buzzwords for decades<\/a> \u2013 and rightly so!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    HR are not interested in \u201csynergy\u201d, \u201cthe new normal\u201d or \u201cgrowth hacking. Instead, they\u2019re interested in real world issues with substance, such as managing talent, setting compensation and benefits, structuring training and development programmes, ensuring compliance, improving workplace safety, and maximising the value of the people within their organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And all of this requires real, detailed work, not just a bunch of flimsy buzzwords. So you can forgive any HR person for ignoring AI as \u201cjust another buzzword\u201d, and hoping that it will soon go away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But here\u2019s the thing: AI is more than just a buzzword.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    AI is something that is going to shape the way we do life, for the rest of our lives and beyond. It\u2019s a technological shift that is going to impact the human race in a similar way to how smartphones impacted us in 2007, how the dot-com boom impacted us in 1995, how the spread of telephones impacted us in the late 1800\u2019s, and how the printing press impacted us in the 15th<\/sup> century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    AI is a big technological shift, and whether we want to embrace it or not, it\u2019s going to change the way we do everything \u2013 including the way we manage our people, the way we manage our data, and the way we do our HR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How AI and HR will start to collide over the next 12 months<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    HR professionals seem to fall into three broad camps, as far as AI is concerned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. I am interested in AI, and I can see how it will impact HR<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. I am interested in AI, but can\u2019t see how it will impact HR<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. I\u2019m not interested in AI, and don\u2019t much care how it will impact HR<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      This article is probably more aimed at people who fall into groups 2 and 3, but naturally those in group 1 will have an interest in reading on \u2013 either to confirm what they already know, or to argue with me that I\u2019ve got it wrong. And I welcome both!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      But either way, I won\u2019t be getting into the serious technical detail of AI today. One day, I will \u2013 and I\u2019ll bring our data scientist Cristina along, as she\u2019s doing some jaw-dropping work in bringing AI and HR tech together. For now though, I just want to talk about some of the high-level areas where AI and HR are most likely to collide over the next 12 months, as well as the next decade and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      And if you are wondering what your next steps should be, as an HR professional, in terms of embracing AI \u2013 or at least figuring out how to co-exist with it \u2013 then I\u2019ll have some advice on that towards the end, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The early HR pains AI is helping to resolve<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      AI as we currently know it, is good at a number of things. Three of the things it is best at, are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      1. Digesting large volumes of data<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Summarising key messages<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. Holding human-like conversation<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        In practice, this basically gives us the basis for what is effectively an admin assistant. Somebody who can do the heavy lifting, read a bunch of boring material, give us the take-home points, and even help us to write up our next steps. And that\u2019s going to be appealing to almost anyone, regardless of the industry we work in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        For HR, of course, this means that people are generally trying to use AI to do things like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n