As AI reshapes society, the ‘Human’ in HR matters more than ever

It’s now a little over two years since the public launch of ChatGPT, and the GenAI bandwagon shows no sign of slowing.

In January this year alone, there has been another wave of high-profile developments, from the $500 billion Stargate announcement to the disruptive launch of DeepSeek, among various others.

The fact that Silicon Valley was blindsided by a previously unheralded open-source AI model underlines the staggering pace of change the technology has created.

Across major industry sectors and niche markets alike, organizations are investing in AI and integrating it into infrastructures and processes.

This includes the HR profession, where the entire recruitment, development, retention, and offboarding lifecycle is increasingly subject to AI innovation.

As analysis from Gartner points out: “From June 2023 to January 2024, the number of HR leaders conducting pilots and planning implementations doubled.

“This surge reflects the growing recognition of GenAI’s potential to revolutionize HR processes”.

Yet, there is clearly a very long way to go before AI technologies become a fully ubiquitous part of modern HR processes.

According to research published in the US, this time last year only one in four employers were using AI to support HR-related activities.

As the study also pointed out: “Just over 60% [of respondents] are optimistic about the potential for the effective use of AI at their organization, and 56% are optimistic about the potential for AI to improve collaboration”.

“Yet there are still some (24%) who are concerned that AI will lead to job displacement.”

On a broader level, industry professionals are quite right to be cautious.

For example, there are some important challenges to address around bias, transparency, and ethics to protect the integrity of hiring processes and maintain employee trust.

There have already been some controversies, including last year when it was revealed that the UK’s tax authority HMRC used AI to recruit staff, with some being hired without ever speaking to a human until their first day in the role.

Organizations have also been caught out when employees have inadvertently shared confidential information with commercial AI systems, raising serious concerns for HR leaders about data privacy and how certain models are trained.

The AI road ahead for HR

So, where is this revolutionary trend taking HR?

Let’s start with the use cases, with a caveat that assumes tools and processes are properly implemented – ie, ethical, transparent, accurate, secure, and human-centric.

Firstly, GenAI can significantly streamline and enhance the hiring process. This includes using advanced algorithms and data analytics to automate previously manual and time-consuming tasks, such as screening CVs for key skills.

In addition to talent acquisition, AI is also being applied to employee engagement and support technologies and processes.

A report published last year by the Harvard Business Review looked at the state of play in detail, with tools now able to help deliver tailored career advice or support areas such as training, qualifications, and progression.

The study also noted that “AI can help employees organize ideas during brainstorming sessions, provide a deeper connection for remote workers to help them work more efficiently, increase the effectiveness of collaborative efforts, and recommend connections with other employees and departments working on similar initiatives”.

The key takeaway here is that the list of HR AI use cases is already extensive and growing all the time as professionals build more experience with the various technologies.

Whether it’s onboarding, training, planning, analytics, or wellbeing and retention, HR is no different from any other industry sector in its widespread exposure to GenAI.

The only way is ethics

There are also some extremely important challenges to address.

For example, scanning databases to identify potential candidates using predetermined criteria is a great use for the technology – as long as HR professionals also understand the full implications of using AI on the candidate pool.

If an AI recruitment tool prioritizes candidates based on certain educational backgrounds, for instance, it may unintentionally exclude qualified individuals from underrepresented groups, leading to a lack of diversity in hiring.

Similarly, what if these systems were trained using data that is in some way biased?

HR-focused AI models learn from historical hiring data, which may reflect past recruitment biases. If previous hiring patterns favored a specific demographic, the AI might reinforce those rules rather than eliminate them.

AI outputs and ‘decisions’ also rely on the quality of input data. If the data is incomplete, outdated, or skewed, the model may produce flawed recommendations. In addition, if a system lacks data on candidates from non-traditional career paths, it may undervalue their potential.

Another example could be using an AI system to screen video interviews for social cues where ‘poor eye contact’ is flagged as a negative indication of communication skills.

In these circumstances, the system may end up screening out highly qualified candidates simply because they didn’t stare directly at the screen.

There’s also the question of data privacy and protection. Like any data-centric technology, AI systems are susceptible to attack and the risk of a breach. For employees whose data is leaked or stolen, the consequences could be extremely serious.

Not only is personal and private information at risk, but any security incidents could destroy the trust between employer and employee.

The overall implications are alarming and underline the fact that AI tools are far from ‘plug and play’ – a great deal of care must be applied to the development process.

So, as it stands, the human element is as important as ever, but the emphasis is changing where the role of gatekeeper is vital to ensuring AI systems are carefully designed and trained to avoid serious mistakes.

Put all these issues together, and contemporary HR teams have an unprecedented opportunity to improve across the board.

At the same time, however, employers and industry professionals must accept the responsibility to apply a highly ethical approach matched by the determination to be the guardians of accuracy, fairness, and integrity.

Those organizations that succeed will be ideally placed to reap transformational benefits in the years ahead.