According to data from Gartner, half of all HR tasks will be automated by artificial intelligence by 2030, and 100% will be AI-augmented. While that might sound exciting, it’s crucial that your team learn to handle this technology with care.
If you’re considering how automation might help you reduce headcount or eliminate the need for human involvement, you may want to rethink your plans. Find out how artificial intelligence is changing the nature of HR, but not the need for keeping humans at the forefront of the work.
How AI Can Streamline Operations and Help HR Do More With Less
HR leaders are increasingly tasked with doing more with less, and AI-driven automation is helping achieve greater efficiency. Here’s how some of the world’s top companies are using AI to offload repetitive tasks and accelerate operations.
Automated Recruiting and Screening
Filtering through hundreds of resumes to find qualified candidates can be tedious. AI-driven tools can relieve bottlenecks by parsing resumes, scoring candidates based on skills, and shortlisting top talent.
Global retail giant Unilever does an excellent job with this, using online games and structured video interviews to assess traits and analyze responses. Not only has this saved the company over $1 million, but it’s also reduced time-to-hire from four months to just four weeks.
Robust Employee Support
It’s easy for HR operations to get bogged down in answering routine employee questions. Using an AI chatbot to help field some of these inquiries can save time and provide around-the-clock support.
Using their own Watson technology, IBM deployed AI agents to handle millions of questions from employees around the globe. In turn, they have been able to eliminate manual tickets and save themselves and others time and money in the process.
Career Pathing and Upskilling
Instead of taking the time to manually match existing employees to new internal roles or projects, you can let an AI-driven platform use skill and performance data to do it automatically.
Global energy management firm Schneider Electric employs AI to tackle this very task, creating an Open Talent Market where employees can upload their information to get matched with new roles, mentoring opportunities, and learning suggestions.
Why AI Can’t Replace Your HR Team
Clearly, AI can do a lot to help HR teams push the organization forward. Still, it’s important to know that even the most cutting-edge technology isn’t a substitute for what your HR team provides.
Though AI is great at processing data, it lacks the fundamental human traits required to manage your workforce and tackle workplace problems. HR is an inherently people-centric practice, and relying solely on algorithms can introduce operational, legal, and cultural risks that only a human can mitigate, such as:
- Empathy: AI cannot feel, understand, or respond to complex human emotions, making it insufficient for conflict or mental health crisis management
- Contextual Decision-Making: AI cannot “read between the lines” in situations that need nuance, such as performance issues or whistleblower claims
- Bias Issues: AI does have the potential to introduce bias, increasing the risk of inadvertent discrimination against protected groups
For these reasons, responsible AI use must include human oversight to ensure that HR processes remain ethical and effective at every turn.
How to Use Checks and Balances for Appropriate AI Deployment
Successful implementation of AI tools requires a close partnership between technology platforms and human oversight. Consider the following ways your HR team can build this into its AI-driven workflows:
- While AI can make recommendations, keep all critical decisions around hiring, terminations, and promotions strictly in human hands
- Schedule regular third-party evaluations of your AI platforms (and any training data) to detect and eliminate discriminatory patterns
- Implement mechanisms for transparency and consent, ensuring applicants and employees know when and how AI is used and how they can opt out
- Establish a cross-functional governance committee that includes HR leaders, legal counsel, and IT compliance experts to vet tools before deployment
By ensuring all AI use stays within these guardrails, your team can safely leverage this technology while protecting your organization’s integrity.
Keeping the “Human” in HR Is the Wave of the Future
Though AI is certainly reshaping human resources, it will likely never eliminate the need for humans. While the technology can automate tasks and analyze data, it can’t provide the empathy, nuance, and ethical judgment that humans offer.
Figuring out how to deploy AI tools responsibly can be daunting, but AssetHR is here to help. Contact us today to see how our HR consultants can assist you in building AI-driven workflows that maximize efficiency without jeopardizing organizational integrity.