As the normalization of artificial intelligence in personal and professional life continues, many organizations are moving beyond dipping a toe in the water and plunging headfirst into the brave new world of AI.
Whether they have first learned to swim or not is another question.
Automation is not now just optimizing performance reviews or streamlining admin tasks, but could be about to redefine what HR departments currently look like, and what they can become.
Take IBM, where a staggering 94% of human resources functions are now automated. The company justifies the shift by pointing to significant productivity gains and a renewed focus on high-value business activities.
While such statistics may be eye-catching (even eye-watering for some), the implications for HR go far deeper than eliminating a bit of admin.
At its core, AI in HR is not about replacing humans, it is about redefining the function’s value. In businesses where AI tools are embedded deeply into performance management, learning and development, and even coaching, people teams are shedding their traditional role as process administrators and are instead emerging as the gatekeepers of growth, retention, and cultural cohesion.
HR moves from processing to strategy
The shift toward AI-powered operations offers HR teams a chance to reclaim time, redeploy talent, and focus on long-term planning.
When performance reviews are written by AI or development plans are generated algorithmically, the role of HR professionals then becomes one of judgment, interpretation, and influence.
Such a strategic shift comes with a wholesale realignment of priorities, which means metrics, outcomes, and personalized talent insights are replacing checklists, forms, and compliance-heavy routines.
People leaders are now positioned to guide broader business transformation by connecting employee needs with organizational goals, which demands a new kind of thinking, rooted in systems, not silos.
Additionally, the ability to translate data into insights is emerging as a core skill. As AI tools predict behavioral patterns and workforce trends, HR leaders are being asked to act not only as stewards of talent but also as interpreters of analytics.
The future HR department may resemble a hybrid of human intuition and machine precision that is less about admin and more about orchestration.
But while the adoption of AI is still in its infancy, so too are the roles needed to manage it correctly, with many either not yet in place or even thought of.
For instance, despite 60% of public sector organisations having already invested in AI, not a single government department employs an AI Ethics Officer, according to an FOI analysed by the Parliament Street think tank.
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At its core, AI in HR is not about replacing humans, it is about redefining the function’s value.
