Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Not a day goes by without some news about artificial intelligence (AI). The latest being the ouster – and return – of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The world of AI is exciting, dynamic, and full of potential. Just like human resources. Artificial intelligence is changing our jobs and the HR function.
Regardless of where you and your organization are regarding AI adoption, it’s important to stay on top of the latest developments. That’s why I asked my friend Carrie Cherveny, chief compliance officer and senior vice president of strategic solutions at HUB International to share her insights with us today. In her role, Carrie works with clients to develop strategies that ensure compliance and risk mitigation when it comes to benefits and employment practices.
Carrie, thanks for being here. Why should human resources professionals embrace artificial intelligence (AI)?
[Cherveny] AI can be used to automate many of the more arduous or mundane processes. That will free up HR to have more meaningful and impactful employee interactions. Let’s replace the hours of work that don’t move the needle with hours of work that can truly improve employee retention and workplace culture.
- Automate mundane and repetitive tasks
- Data reporting and analysis – dashboards and data summaries – in today’s data driven environment, pivot tables and Excel tools may fall short. Use AI to pare down large volumes of data, such as executive reports and dashboards.
- Build visually pleasing presentations
- Conduct research – using AI as part of a multi-pronged research project can improve efficiency and reduce research time – however, remember that you should always validate any of your Artificial Intelligence research results (see cautionary tale here).
- Respond to simple employee inquiries – AI can be a great tool to get you started, whether drafting a response to an employee inquiry or composing a speech or a presentation.
As part of our interview, I asked ChatGPT “How can AI help human resources professionals do their jobs?”. Here are some excerpts from its answer:
Recruitment and Talent Acquisition:
- Resume Screening: AI can automate the initial screening of resumes, saving time and ensuring a more objective process.
- Candidate Matching: AI algorithms can analyze candidate profiles and match them to job requirements, improving the accuracy of shortlisting.
- Chatbots for Initial Interaction: AI-powered chatbots can engage with candidates, answer FAQs, and collect basic information, streamlining the initial stages of the recruitment process.
Employee Engagement:
- Pulse Surveys and Feedback Analysis: AI tools can analyze employee feedback from surveys, performance reviews, and other sources to provide insights into engagement levels and areas for improvement.
- Personalized Learning and Development: AI can recommend personalized training and development plans based on employees’ skills, performance, and career goals.
Employee Relations:
- Chatbots for HR Support: AI-powered chatbots can handle routine HR queries, allowing HR professionals to focus on more complex and strategic issues.
- Sentiment Analysis: AI can analyze communication channels to gauge employee sentiment, helping HR address potential issues before they escalate.
It’s important to note that while AI can greatly enhance HR processes, it should be used as a tool to support human decision-making rather than replacing human judgment entirely. Additionally, ethical considerations, transparency, and data privacy should be prioritized when implementing AI in HR.
Artificial Intelligence can be useful and helpful, when used appropriately.
Should HR pros be concerned about AI replacing them? Why or why not?
[Cherveny] AI can never replace our critical and dynamic thinking, professional judgment, and consulting acumen. However, AI is here to stay. HR should embrace its functionality while still monitoring and modifying any outputs generated by technology. While it may enhance efficiency and productivity, it will never replace the important service HR provides their organizations.
Maintaining a balance between leveraging technology and maintaining human connections is key to delivering exceptional employee relations experiences. In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) is likewise concerned about displaced workers as a result of AI. In its Executive Order, the White House has instructed the USDOL to develop a plan for how federal agencies can prevent unnecessary job elimination or displacement and assist workers whose jobs are eliminated or disrupted by AI.
Moreover, many of our federal laws implicitly require the involvement of people. For example, AI can never replace the interactive process required under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Human resource pros must engage in a collaborative and interactive conversation with an employee seeking a workplace accommodation. HR pros must assess the employee’s position and his/her medical limitations to identify a reasonable accommodation (if any). Likewise, Artificial Intelligence cannot replace a human being when interviewing a candidate that may have a speech impediment or accent that may skew an AI-based interview. Keeping the ‘human’ in HR is essential.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has provided robust guidance along with examples of the role HR must continue to play in the employment relationship. For example, a prospective employer may utilize an AI based applicant screening program in a gaming environment – an otherwise qualified applicant whose generation is not familiar with this environment may perform poorly. The prospective employer should have a checks and balance or audit system in place to ensure that the otherwise qualified candidates were not screened out by the AI because they performed poorly based on their age (i.e. disparate impact and age discrimination).
AI should never go unchecked. Individuals utilizing AI must consistently perform oversight, review, and audit AI output. Individuals must ensure that the AI output is accurate, reliable, and nondiscriminatory. Embracing AI also requires continuous training, education, and upskilling. As HR pros we should invest in developing our understanding of AI technologies, their applications, and their impact on our field. This enables us to leverage AI effectively, adapt to emerging trends, and remain competitive in the evolving consulting landscape.
HR should always be transparent when using AI. It’s important to be sure that the HR ‘customer’ (whether employee or job applicant) knows when AI technology is being used and how to get to a live human. For example, if a candidate requires an accommodation for an interview, they should have ready access to a member of HR to request that accommodation.
Interestingly even the ChatGPT answer warns that HR should not rely solely on the AI results and must be sure to check and balance the results. It also likewise warns that HR should be transparent when using AI.
You mentioned the relationship between HR, compliance, and Artificial Intelligence. Do you see AI becoming “regulated”, meaning that HR pros will need to ensure that organizations are compliant using AI? And if so, what aspects of HR might be subject to AI compliance?
[Cherveny] The government involvement has begun! For example, the White House has issued the “Blueprint for AI Bill of Rights” (see graphic above).
The White House has also recently issued an executive order requiring government agencies to address the limitations and controls around the use of AI. The executive order creates new government offices and task forces, requiring each federal agency to appoint a Chief AI Officer and help staff a new White House AI Council. The federal government is especially concerned about AI infringing on workers’ rights and discrimination. Likewise, data and cyber security are important considerations when it comes to AI. The government is especially concerned about the nature of the data loaded into an AI platform and the cyber and data security in place to protect that information. HR should be prepared to include these questions in any technology due diligence it performs.
Each federal agency charged with overseeing employer-employee relationships has issued various forms of guidance and caution regarding the use of AI in the workplace:
- U.S. National Labor Relations Board issued a general counsel memo regarding the use of AI for employee surveillance.
- U.S. Department of Labor is holding ‘think tanks’, providing thoughts and guidance in its blogs regarding the use of AI in the workplace along with an ADA AI Toolkit.
- U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is providing robust and detailed guidance regarding Title VII, discrimination, disparate impact, and ADA.
Last question. For organizations that are still new to using AI, where’s a good place for them to start?
[Cherveny] For organizations interested in implementing AI technology in human resources it first becomes important to understand the guardrails. Becoming familiar and well versed in the federal agency guidance is your first order of business. Understanding where, when, and under what circumstances AI may be appropriate, and more importantly, inappropriate, is an imperative initial measure to take.
From there, HR pros should learn the technology landscape. Becoming acquainted with the AI and technology capabilities of HRIS and other relates systems is essential to understanding how AI may be helpful in their organization. Understanding the technology capabilities will help HR pros better understand how they can automate some of their most mundane and rudimentary tasks.
Once HR has chosen their AI technology programs, they must set up a checks and balance or audit system. For example, validating the candidate screening results of a chatbot AI initial interview. HR should be sure that the AI recommended candidates are in fact, the most qualified of the applicants. For example, did the AI filter out candidates who had language or grammar issues because English is a second language, and those skills are not essential for the position?
As always, a want to extend a huge thanks to Carrie for sharing her knowledge with us. If you want to learn more about the connection between HR and AI, check out HUB’s recent webinar on “Humanizing HR in the Age of AI”.
Carrie is spot on when she says, “AI is here to stay.” As HR professionals, we need to learn about AI’s capabilities, both from a standpoint of where it can enhance and bring value to our work as well as those actions that might detract from our goals. That’s why staying on top of what’s happening is so important. Because we need to prepare for a future that includes artificial intelligence. And that means we need to have an opinion about it.
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