What will Human Resources/HR mean in a future driven by AI?

Will HR be a “department” with no humans, responding automatically to the needs of the employees?

Most of us have worked at a company or government agency where we had interactions with the “HR” department.

Our application and resumes were most likely viewed by an HR person. Our initial employment onboarding was handled by someone in the HR department. Any changes or issues that we had during our employment were handled by the HR department.

And a high percentage of our dealings involved some piece of paper or on-line form.

My background is in document management and business process automation. Many solutions have been developed over the years, way before the frenzy of AI in 2022, to help HR departments, because of their heavy usage of paper and forms.

From parsing applications and resumes to filter candidates or onboarding of new employees and performance reviews, there has been an ongoing effort to improve these processes.

Recent articles I have read talk about using AI for hiring and interviewing. Disrespecting and belittling people to speed up the interview and hiring process is wrong, in my opinion.

The areas that I think need some innovation and attention are compliance, privacy and retention.

Document and data management is where most companies and government agencies struggle. The paperless office has been a dream for the 30 years I have been in this industry. There has been progress from a scanning and electronic document standpoint, but the management of data and documents still troubles many organizations.

One area that could use some help is document and data retention. Many HR departments have not implemented document retention processes, leaving them open for discovery and lawsuits.

Another area I didn’t think about was HR’s role in employee grievances or threats.

A recent conversation with a young manager of a large grocery chain was interesting.

He talked about the HR manager retiring and the new person being unresponsive. (It made me wonder if they hired this new person using an AI bot and it did a bad hire.)

When we talked about paperwork and employees needing to make changes, he said that was not his concern. He had a couple situations where there was a disgruntled employee and an employee making threats. This new person did not respond.

I haven’t seen any AI talk about helping HR with serious situations like this. It would seem like this would be a priority over speeding up hiring and interviewing.

I definitely agree that HR is an area where AI tools can be of value. Paper processing, filing, and data management can move forward with technology and processes.

Hiring and interviewing are human-based and should not be replaced with a non-human entity or process.

We have collected various articles on AI and its effect on jobs. Here are some articles that talk about HR and AI that I found interesting.

Interviewing:

404 Media - AI Avatars Are Doing Job Interviews Now

“As someone who has interviewed upwards of 50 candidates for prior roles, human connection and interaction is the single most important indicator of how a team will mesh and jive together. If an AI is running the early stage process, it eliminates potential candidates because of its algorithmic design,” he said. “It shows how executives and corporations are further trying to cut costs on the human side of business.”

The Guardian - The job applicants shut out by AI: ‘The interviewer sounded like Siri’

A survey from Resume Builder released last summer found that by 2024, four in 10 companies would use AI to “talk with” candidates in interviews. Of those companies, 15% said hirindecisions would be made with no input from a human at all. 

Hiring:

AiThority - CareerBuilder Unveils AI Hiring Trends Whitepaper

“AI in hiring is now mainstream and here to stay,” said Kelley. “Employers should consider adopting AI technology to stay competitive. They should also start formalizing AI policies and guidelines, find ways to balance AI with human interaction, and think through roles so that human team members are delivering the most impact.”

Fast Company - AI-enabled hiring discrimination, and what CEOs should do to avoid it

But that’s not the most worrisome liability to organizations. In my view, the most worrisome would be choosing not to use AI. Companies that avoid AI will ultimately be left behind and put out of business. Mark my words.

Information Week -  The Search for Solid Hires Between AI Screening and GenAI Resumes

With job applicants in need of work and hiring managers anxious to find the right fit for their companies, is AI hurting or helping the process? Before this flood of AI-generated applications, there was plenty of talk of using AI to sort through potential hires -- is more AI needed to deal with GenAI resumes?

Computerworld - Job seekers and hiring managers depend on AI — at what cost to truth and fairness?

The darker side to using AI in hiring is that it can bypass potential candidates based on predetermined criteria that don’t necessarily take all of a candidate’s skills into account or they can contain hidden biases based on how they were trained by their creators. And for job seekers, the technology can generate great-looking resumes, but often they’re not completely truthful when it comes to skill sets.

GeekWire - Artificial intelligence tools offer substantial benefits, challenges for hiring and recruiting

AI-powered bots such as ResumeRabbit enable candidates to apply to multiple positions rapidly, while AI-driven platforms provide simulated interview experiences to help candidates refine their skills.  

Diginomica - HR, meet AI - everything changes...perhaps

The study pointed out that HR could most benefit from the technology in three key areas: recruitment, learning and development, and talent management. It also revealed that nearly 25% of organizations have already introduced generative AI for hiring purposes, making it the top area for adoption to date. A further 30% also plan to implement it in the next 24 months.

GeekWire - Artificial intelligence tools offer substantial benefits, challenges for hiring and recruiting

AI-powered bots such as ResumeRabbit enable candidates to apply to multiple positions rapidly, while AI-driven platforms provide simulated interview experiences to help candidates refine their skills.  

Data Science Central - How machine learning is delivering next-generation talent acquisition processes

By monitoring their social media activity, online profiles, and studying their given career interests, ML can help recruiters identify passive candidates for opportunities to reach out or to build a talent database that can be monitored for future availability.

Thoughts from Debby Kruzic - President of Records and Data Management and Creator of Teckedin.com.