What’s Next for AI in HR?

As everywhere else, Artificial Intelligence has the potential to transform HR. We look at key trends for 2019 and assess key impact areas for AI in HR.

There’s a great deal of talk and hype around Artificial Intelligence (AI) and all it can achieve. From talking cars to machines that can almost read our minds, the possibilities are endless, and the excitement, palpable. Regardless of how soon all of this becomes a reality, the facts seem to point towards a future that’s brimming with potential. For HR as well, AI could make a massive difference, beyond merely automating iterative tasks. Let’s weigh in on how AI could transform HR, in 2019 – and beyond:

Personalizing employee experiences

‘Personalizing and humanizing’ employee experiences is critical to HR – no matter the business you’re in, or the size of your workforce. It helps foster greater engagement and makes the workplace more positive and productive. “I envision personalization to become more than just an afterthought. I see it becoming the new norm in the workplace. There is no “one size fits all” approach when it comes to workplace productivity, and allowing employees to choose the software, processes, and devices that work for their unique needs is crucial in fostering a high-performing culture,”says Sean Nolan, CEO at employee engagement technology firm, Blink.

With AI in HR, one can individualize the entire employee lifecycle, right from recruitment and onboarding. Imagine, if the new entrant can garner a sense of organizational culture, divisional best practices, and company information via a customized mobile app powered by AI.

Further, with sentiment analysis, AI can help determine when an employee is stressed or tired and requires a little time off; in other words, one can better understand employee work patterns, state-of-mind, and the most conducive work atmosphere. A good example is Ellen.ai by Next Play; launched just last week, this new app is making great strides in using AI for leadership development. Eightfold is another company that’s focused on combining AI and personalization with talent – which brings us to the next point.

Changing recruitment, for good

For any HR division, recruitment is a critical area – particularly at a time when the market is so fiercely competitive and the talent, equally hungry and growth-focused. With AI in HR, one can envision customized recruitment experiences which can match a company’s needs with an applicant’s expectations. For instance, Textio is an AI-based writing platform, geared to create intelligent and targeted job postings – ready for this new generation of young and vibrant candidates.

What’s more, AI in HR can help simplify and accelerate the initial screening processes, through chatbots and virtual assistants, quickly running through resumes, selecting the most fitting applicants, at a pace and pitch that’s truly incomparable to human effort. Further, recruiters can now realign their focus on talking to, discussing with, interviewing candidates.

Let’s look at some of the ‘‘new areas for growth and development’, on the path toward greater adoption of AI in HR:

Speed bumps and opportunities for AI in HR

Of course, AI is poised to initiate huge advancements in how businesses operate and maneuver everyday activities. However, it will also bring in several changes in the workplace as we know it. Usual tasks and daily assignments that are iterative in nature will soon be completely automated, driven by AI. This will render a number of legacy roles redundant and unsuitable for modern organizations. Therefore, those who filled these usual positions will have to consider upskilling themselves and take on fresh responsibilities.

A Gartner research suggests the emergence of four distinct skill types, which will rapidly develop across 2019. Read the Gartner research: https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/action-plan-for-hr-as-artificial-intelligence-spreads/

Expiring – as mentioned, typical, repetitive tasks like cold-calling, data filing, reporting, and cost estimations will all be actioned by AI in HR, at a speed and cost that’s markedly lower than human intervention.

Social-Creative – A critical element in this discussion, human workers will have to shift towards an innovative, and creative approach to new roles and responsibilities. As much as AI in HR can achieve, out-of-the-box thinking, person-to-person management, social interaction, and coaching and guidance are those precious, subtle, and highly important ‘human areas’ which will continue to demand an individual employee’s unique and irreplaceable involvement.

As a result, new workers will have to upgrade themselves and become masters of non-automated activities.

Digitally Dextrous – Simply put, employees must learn how to leverage technology and combine their capabilities with the tools at hand, making any project more effective, efficient, and insightful. They must be flexible, open to risks and learnings, and be both ‘tech-savvy and data-driven’.

Technology Development –Even as automation and AI in HR change how we work, a space emerges for harnessing and improving these technologies. What this means is that ‘AI-engineers, Data Scientists, and Tech-Experts’ will become integral to any company’s workforce – again throwing up a clutch of opportunities and positions.

A final word

These are among the most popular and commonly suggested trends for AI in HR. Remember, every month there’s news of an app, an approach, or solution (led by AI) that is pegged to become the next-best-thing. HR teams are best advised to keep their ear to the ground, and regularly pick up on the newest and the most relevant tech-innovations.

Read the article: https://www.hrtechnologist.com/articles/digital-transformation/whats-next-for-ai-in-hr-2020/