Two years of ChatGPT – Has generative AI transformed HR?

Two years ago, OpenAI’s ChatGPT burst onto the scene.

The brainchild of Sam Altman and his superstar tech team, this advanced generative AI chatbot (and its human-like answers) became a hot topic in everyone’s personal and professional lives as 2022 came to an end.

The tool gained one million users in its first week – and two years later, it has now reached 200 million active users a week.

Therefore, it is no surprise that as a result of ChatGPT’s disruption and hype, AI continues to dominate media and business discourse.

There has been much discussion about whether large language models (LLMS) and foundational AI like ChatGPT are coming for our jobs – there have even been warnings that they could cause the end of the world as we know it.

Here at UNLEASH, we have been helping you, HR leaders, try to understand the impact of generative AI on the world of HR since ChatGPT’s emergence on 30 November 2022.

As the chatbot’s turns two, it felt right to reflect on that past couple of years – the good, the bad and the ugly – and also look ahead to the next 24 months.

To do this, UNLEASH spoke to HR experts from across the globe about their perspectives on the history and future of AI and HR.

ChatGPT and HR – what has the impact been?

The New Workforce’s CEO and Founder Kraig Kleeman put it best – he tells UNLEASH that ChatGPT and these advanced AI models haven’t just changed things “it’s transformed the entire conversation, especially when it comes to HR.”

Frankly, generative AI and LLMs have been a total gamechanger for the HR function. Breathe HR’s Head of People Charlie O’Brien describes it as “the team member we never knew we needed”.

ChatGPT’s emergence “opened up the conversation about AI to HR leaders at every level of their career and at every size of organization”, shares Ben Eubanks, Chief Research Officer, Lighthouse Research & Advisory.

“We’ve moved from basic chatbots to something far more sophisticated – orchestrated AI systems working in tandem,” adds Wilson EVP of Product, Michael Beygelman.

“These AI agents are playing a role in everything from workforce planning to talent acquisition, and they’re doing it with a level of complexity that was unimaginable just a few years ago.”

What started off as a conversation around “fear, uncertainty and doubt” around job displacement – in Wilson’s Beygelman’s view – has turned into a view that if you don’t use AI, you will fall behind.

This begs the question, where is HR using generative AI effectively?

“ChatGPT, and other generative AI tools, have automated HR tasks, improving efficiency, and enabling data-driven decisions,” adds Workhuman’s Senior Director, Global Talent Acquisition and Employer Branding, David Burke.

“It has created the space for HR professionals to focus on more strategic planning, by reducing repetitive, low-value tasks.”

Kleeman agrees, adding that AI doesn’t just HR get things done fast; “AI can help you make more data-driven and objective decisions”, especially it comes to areas like payroll, hiring, learning and development.

Beekeeper’s Chief People Officer Louise Willoughby-Petit tells UNLEASH: “The true potential of AI lies in its ability to enhance, rather than replace, human interaction.”

For instance, in streamlining repetitive and administrative tasks, this frees up “HR professionals to focus on building deeper, more impactful relationships” with employees and business leaders.

Along a similar human-centric vein, Lepaya’s CEO René Janssen notes that “generative AI is now driving significant shifts in workforce training and development” with “human-centric skills like creativity, collaboration, and leadership having taken center stage”.

“This reflects a strategic pivot as organizations priorities future-proof skills that AI cannot replace,” Janssen adds.

Ultimately, as Beygelman from Wilson shares, “the human element of HR is irreplaceable”.

The challenges of AI for HR

It is crucial to remember that ChatGPT and other LLMs may bring huge benefits, but (like disruptive technology that came before it) it is far from a silver bullet.

Over the past two years, there has been a lot of pressure from business leaders and employees to implement AI into workplaces, but this creates a problem for HR who has to make sure that the technology is being used in an ethical and responsible way.

While there has been a lot of talk about AI helping to reduce bias in areas like recruitment, as Wilson’s Beygelman notes “we’ve got to be equally vigilant about bias in the AI itself”.

Center for Leadership Psychology’s Chief Leadership Psychologist Edel Holliday-Quinn adds that HR leaders remain very concerned about bias and trust around AI.

“These apprehensions aren’t unfounded; without proper oversight, generative AI models can unintentionally reinforce societal biases present in the data they’re trained on.

“For example, we’ve seen this in AI-powered recruitment tools with gender or racial biases.”

Beygelman continues: “We can’t just sit back and hope for the best – that’s not a strategy. We need clear accountability in how we’re building and using these systems”.

Transparency and ethical AI design aren’t just buzzwords – they’re now fundamental requirements.”

Another challenge that our HR experts noted was around revenue generation – it is clear that AI is helping with cost reduction, but teams are struggling with making a true business case around how it generates income.

This is noted by Phenom’s VP of Global Strategy Cliff Jurkiewicz and David Gibbens, HR Advisory Practice Leader, Europe, The Hackett Group.

Gibbens notes that despite AI bringing serious efficiency gains, “disruption has also come to the HR function, challenging the way it creates value in the face of this evolving technology”.

Jurkiewicz tells UNLEASH: “Chat-GPT has fundamentally changed the nature of how humans interact with technology as a whole.

“Yet the problem with the technology is people don’t understand its value proposition yet. It is going to take more time to fully understand the influence these technologies have on how work is operationalized.

To be clear, the problem is not with the technology itself – the transformational nature of it is here to stay – the issue is the financial return on investment.

“It is difficult to quantify because the impact to work is not yet defined. It’s a chicken and egg conversation.”

Predicting the next two years of AI and HR

That’s a brief history of the pros and cons of generative AI for HR over the past two years.

Of course, this story is far from over; what could the HR and AI landscape look like in 2026 when ChatGPT turns four?

The HR experts that UNLEASH spoke to are largely optimistic about the future AI landscape for HR.

“AI is here to stay in the HR world, and over the next couple of years it will become more mainstream in the way we work,” states The New Workforce’s Kleeman.

“I can’t see us turning the page back,” adds Jeremy Hollander, CEO of OpenRoute. “AI is here to stay and that’s a good thing. It’ll evolve into a true decision-making partner for HR.”

However, Kleeman warns: “Like any new technology, it’s a double-edged sword. The possibilities are many, but we can’t ignore the potential downsides.”

There will be “complex challenges related to ethics, biases, and data protection, which will require careful deliberation and proactive management,” notes Gibbens from The Hackett Group.

“We can also expect to see new and enhanced operating models for HR emerge, focusing on creating human-centric value for organizations.

“To adapt, the HR function itself must evolve rapidly”, and the CHRO must lead the way in building a “resilient-future ready HR function that can thrive in this ever-changing landscape”.

If HR can get this right, the function “can move from being a support function to a key driver of business growth in 2025 and beyond”, concludes Burke of Workhuman.

For Phenom’s Jurkiewicz, HR is at an AI inflection point already – “If organizations didn’t spend 2024 adopting and getting ready to scale innovation to be ready for this coming growth, it’s too late. They can’t just flip a switch.”

Beygelman from Wilson agrees; “We’re looking at exponential advancement. The trajectory of AI capabilities is accelerating faster than most organizations are prepared for.”

HR leaders have a chance to step up and “become agents of change in this transformation. The future belongs to those who can effectively bridge the human-AI divide.”