The HR industry is ripe for adopting AI. Talent teams often follow repeatable processes like recruiting and onboarding where tasks can be automated in certain instances. Mendis notes AI solutions like "conversational analytics and interview intelligence" allow recruiters to "hire smarter and faster with less unconscious bias by augmenting human decision-making, not replacing it."

Being the first department to experiment with AI in your organization offers a unique opportunity to understand the process from start to finish. You will know when your organization needs to dig in, pull back, or push the envelope.

The second task Mendis recommends is to explore all the ways AI is currently being used. With the wide variety of AI solutions now available, it is highly likely that employees are using these tools in some way. Documenting the tools being used is just the beginning.

Mendis recommends conducting thorough interviews to gather all of the information needed: "One method of doing this is to create a standardized inventory template that documents each AI solution, its purpose, data sources, and ways it may be subject to potential bias, discriminatory practices, data privacy concerns, or copyright infringement."

Given that AI is a fairly new tool within the workplace, regulation and compliance is still working to catch up. However, of the policies that currently exist, most affect AI solutions that talent leaders already use. This gives the HR industry a unique perspective on how to build AI regulation and compliance within their organization.

Mendis offers five best practices for using AI in the workplace:

1. 1Be transparent when using an AI tool and disclose how it works.
2. 2Provide instructions for employees or candidates on how to ask for accommodations when using an AI tool.
3. 3Ask vendors if and how the AI accommodates people with disabilities.
4. 4Only use AI tools to evaluate traits that are necessary for performing the job duties.
5. 5Use AI tools to augment human decisions, rather than replace them in any process related to hiring, promoting, or firing.

HR knows that rules and regulations within the workplace are only effective if employees are trained to fully understand and adhere to them. Mendis reiterates this point: "No matter how thorough an organization's AI policies are, they are useless unless employees understand how to use the technology correctly."

A good way to start is to incorporate AI policies within your existing learning and development programs. Employees are then able to seamlessly understand how and when they are allowed to use AI solutions. It also offers your company an easy way to continue layering on new training and practices as the evolution of AI in the workplace continues.

In an article for Built In, Fusemachines CEO Sameer Maskey explores the benefits of using AI in the hiring process. Hiring can be a long, time-consuming, and often repetitive task, making it ripe for more effective methods using AI. And 76 percent of recruiters believe AI will be an important part of the hiring process soon.

You have probably felt the stress of sorting through hundreds of resumes for just one open role. With AI, you can evaluate all resumes within a matter of seconds, knowing the most ideal candidates are identified. Of course there are risks to this solution, but if done right, talent leaders can get back time to focus on more critical tasks.

Onboarding is another process that AI can simplify. The first area of improvement is in the training itself. AI can ease the process of learning about company policies and answer questions that come up on behalf of the recruitment team. Additionally, AI can streamline repetitive tasks like completing paperwork, gathering feedback, or managing a training schedule.

One of the biggest concerns around AI is its effect on existing jobs, specifically replacing them. While AI will likely affect some jobs, the impact will be felt much more on what jobs companies will need in the future. This is why it is critical that talent professionals understand the impact AI will have on headcount planning.

When thinking about the roles your organization will need in the future, consider which jobs are the most likely to be replaced with AI. Customer support is a great example. Many AI chatbots exist today with the purpose of answering incoming questions about your company.

While AI will likely replace some of the roles your organization needs, it will also create new ones and expand on existing jobs. According to The World Economic Forum, an estimated 97 million new jobs will exist by 2025 because of AI.

Yossi Sheffi, professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, describes four ways AI will spark job evolutions:

Think about these four instances as you begin your headcount plans to address your business needs in the coming years.

AI is already making an impact on employee productivity, with data showing 30 percent of organizations are seeing time saved due to AI. And this number is likely to grow. According to OpenAI, 80 percent of the US workforce could have 10 percent of their tasks automated by ChatGPT, and 19 percent of employees could see half of their tasks taken on by AI.

As the adoption and impact of AI solutions on employee productivity continues to rise, talent professionals must begin to think about how this affects performance management. Does an employee's AI skills factor into their performance assessment? If AI replaces a majority of the employee's responsibilities, are more responsibilities added to their plate? What do growth opportunities for employees look like related to AI skills?

All of these questions should be considered when thinking about how AI will impact the management of employee performance as well as their growth and development. Additionally, predictive analytics can be used to determine how many employees are trending toward a promotion or what skills your employees are lacking most.

AI can impact your learning and development programs in a number of ways. We touched on the fact that AI can identify trends in employee performance across your company. With that comes the ability to know where your employees are lacking in terms of skill sets your business needs. This becomes a great planning tool for your learning and development programs. It not only offers a way to catch skills gaps within your organization before they arise, but also offers growth and development opportunities for employees in critical business areas.

Additionally, when AI replaces some of the jobs in your workforce today, AI can help match these affected employees to new job opportunities within your organization and offer them the right training to get them ready. This not only gives opportunities to employees who might otherwise be out of a job, but also cuts the need to recruit, train, and onboard new employees for these roles.