Generative AI is one of the most transformative technologies that humans have ever had access to. And the impact of this new technology will be felt right across organizations – including, of course, in the HR function. According to Gartner, 76 percent of HR leaders believe that if their organization does not adopt AI solutions, including generative AI, in the next 12–24 months, they will lag behind those companies that do. So, this is clearly a topic on HR leaders’ minds.
But how exactly might generative AI influence the work of HR? Here are my top predictions.
Increasing HR Productivity With Generative AI
Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT will revolutionize so much of what HR does. It will streamline processes such as recruitment, onboarding, personal development, and day-to-day HR administrative tasks. Plus, it will be used to automatically create content, analyze data, and generate reports. In short, generative AI can unlock significant productivity gains – potentially up to 30 percent, according to that same Gartner report.
Providing A Better, More Personalized Service To Employees
Generative AI isn’t just about behind-the-scenes improvements; it can also lead to new employee-facing tools that provide a better employee experience.
A super-simple example is HR chatbots. These conversational AIs can be used to aid recruitment, assist with onboarding tasks, and generally answer routine employee questions. Generative AI, therefore, enables HR teams to provide more self-service applications – but in a more intuitive, more personal, and more helpful way than ever before. With their advanced language capabilities, generative AI chatbots can understand context as well as content – making them infinitely better than the basic chatbots of old. And, of course, these tools can be available 24/7, on-demand. Best of all, by not having to manually respond to routine queries, HR professionals will have more bandwidth for more complex issues and situations that absolutely require the human touch.
Generative AI can also enable a more personalized approach to serving employees. For example, HR “co-pilots” can help guide employees on aspects such as career development, learning opportunities, reminders about personal goals, or even flagging when an employee might be stressed, in need of some time off, or in need of additional support. What’s more, Generative AI can be used to create customized learning and development plans or onboarding plans for each individual employee.
Managing The Human Implications of Digital Transformation
Of course, another thing that HR functions will be grappling with is the impact of generative AI on the wider workforce. This isn’t just about supporting the workforce through job augmentation and job displacement – important as that is – it’s also about equipping people with the skills needed to thrive in the generative AI era. HR teams will need to guide business leaders accordingly, striking a balance between the efficiency boosts that generative AI can provide and the human qualities that will still be essential for businesses. For instance, we can expect that human qualities and abilities like strategic thinking, complex problem solving, creativity, and emotional intelligence will be more in demand in the future.
Enabling HR To Play a Deeper Role In Shaping The Organization’s Future
By automating many of the daily, repetitive, and simpler HR tasks, generative AI frees up human HR professionals to focus their time on more complex or bigger-picture tasks. This, in turn, allows the HR team to become a more insightful, more strategic partner within the business. With all organizations facing a massive wave of digital transformation, the need for HR to play a leading role in navigating business change has never been more pressing. In other words, generative AI can help HR functions add even more value to the organization.
HR Can Lead The Way
With many business leaders unsure where to start the digital transformation, there’s an opportunity for HR to lead by example – by embracing generative AI and digital transformation in general.
Of course, this is easier said than done. But here are some pointers to help you on that journey:
· Plan for workforce impact. Consider carefully how generative AI – and AI in general – will impact the workforce, the kinds of skills that will be essential to future business success, and how HR can support people through the changes.
· Practice empathy. Change is scary, so as you lead the way in navigating change and uncertainty, do so with compassion and empathy.
· Embrace new tools. Learn from how other organizations have successfully implemented generative AI and find your own use cases – ideally a mixture of longer-term, more strategic ways to deploy generative AI, and some shorter-term quick-win projects that can help to build knowledge and enthusiasm.
· Publicize your successes. When generative AI adds value to HR’s work, tell that story within the business. Showcase the wins, big and small, to help increase buy-in across the business.
Generative AI heralds a new frontier in HR, offering a transformative pathway for enhancing efficiency and shaping the future of work, positioning HR leaders at the helm of digital innovation and organizational progress.
