? EDITOR ’ S QUESTION //
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AI IN HR IS PRIMARILY LIMITED TO REPETITIVE ,
PROCESS- BASED TASKS THAT DO NOT REQUIRE TOO MUCH HUMAN INTERVENTION .
A rtificial Intelligence ( AI ) has been changing the scope of job roles and functions for decades , but today its presence is felt more than ever . Interestingly , the impact of this trend on HR is multifaceted .
On one hand , HR professionals have several strategic responsibilities such as executive coaching , formulating people strategies , change management , cultural transformation etc . which cannot be replaced by AI-led automation . These job functions require good interpersonal and reasoning skills , higher order thinking skills which are difficult to be programmed in robots . And on the other hand , the most skilled strategic HR professionals can find themselves dedicating a large amount of their time in repetitive and mundane tasks such as employee scheduling , payroll management , internal HR processes reminders etc .
HR function in an organisation plays a vital role and it is crucial for them to embrace innovative tech to help businesses transform . However , AI in HR is primarily limited to repetitive , process-based tasks that do not require too much human intervention .
Based on a report by Gartner , nearly one out of four organisations that is already pivoting AI is doing so in the HR domain and is extremely helpful in aiding HR personnel to automate certain HR tasks to create a more seamless , more flexible and more user-driven employee experience . Mundane repetitive administrative tasks such as recruitment , training need analysis , performance and reward can be easily digitalised and HR professionals can focus on performing analytical functions and getting more involved with other organisational activities such as tasks enhancing business operations and profitability , as well as use a wider talent ecosystem to deliver work in a cost-effective way to unlock greater business value .
HR functions such as employee relations , organisational effectiveness , people performance architecture , HR and business strategy are less susceptible to automation and hence individuals with high business acumen , strong critical thinking skills , good data analysis skills and good judgment will be in high demand to deliver on tasks that cannot be automated and need an element of human touch .
For Pearson , one of our goals is to deliver digital growth and when this is translated for HR functions , it ’ s all about using technology to deliver the improved employee experience and using the data to make informed business decisions .
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to successfully integrate AI in HR and it largely depends on the outcomes we are chasing . The future is both AI driven and human but not one over the other .
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HIGH BUSINESS
ACUMEN , STRONG CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS , GOOD DATA ANALYSIS SKILLS AND GOOD JUDGMENT WILL BE IN HIGH DEMAND TO DELIVER ON TASKS THAT CANNOT BE AUTOMATED .
SHIVA SHARMA , HEAD – HUMAN RESOURCES , PEARSON MIDDLE EAST , NORTH AFRICA AND TURKEY
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