HR Leaders, Are You Scared of AI?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that artificial intelligence, or AI is now the hottest commodity on the planet.

While there’s a lot of speculation about if, when, or how AI will steal away jobs, it’s clear that there will be an immediate impact on organizations and careers.

In the HR space, AI is unlikely to replace humans. If anything, AI has the potential to greatly speed up and empower HR professionals in their day-to-day work. AI should be thought of not as a threat, but as a tool.

Really, What is AI?

Putting science fiction aside, AI is basically using computers to mimic the problem-solving and creative processes of the human mind. John McCarthy of Stanford University defines AI as “the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs.” He also adds that intelligence is “the ability to achieve goals in the world.”

Strictly speaking, any computer program that uses simple rules to solve a problem is, technically, AI. For example, an applicant tracking system (ATS) that uses keywords to filter candidates is already a form of AI.

But when you take these rules, use some fancy statistical analysis techniques on it and train it using large datasets, you get generative AI. This is what the current buzz about AI is about: programs that can write, code, create art, music, and even videos – approximating human creativity.

Impressive as these outputs may seem, they are not infallible. Generative AI is notorious for being inaccurate and have to be fact-checked by humans. Furthermore, the data that these AI models are trained on tend to be geographically biased and possibly unsuitable for local content generation. HR professionals need to be aware of the capabilities and limitations of AI before using them.

AI Uses in HR

Aside from the ATS example given above, there are many ways in which HR can use generative AI in day-to-day work:

• Using AI in talent acquisition, to generate or fine-tune job descriptions that sound less biased against diverse candidates.
• AI can be used to write effective employee communications, from organization-wide announcements to individual memos to employees.
• Data analysis of existing data, e.g. feedback from employee pulse surveys, performance reviews, attrition data etc. HR professionals can feed AI tools like ChatGPT Excel tables and ask it to analyze data in a certain way.
• HR can use generative AI to analyze skills development paths. Using employee skills, interests and past career trajectories, AI can recommend customized learning paths and identify growth opportunities.

Most savvy HR executives have already started using generative AI to perform such tasks. Its power is too good to pass up, along with the productivity gains that HR stands to benefit from.

So, Why Should HR Be Wary?

Generative AI like ChatGPT may sound scarily intelligent, but at the end of the day they are still only pretending to be intelligent. The large language models (LLMs) that these AIs are trained on are mostly unfiltered, meaning that inaccuracies and legally dubious advice can still be generated.

Thus, generative AI is not a godlike tool even while it provides HR with numerous advantages and efficiencies. To make the most of these tools, HR professionals still need to use their knowledge and insights. Additionally, they must be able to recognise when the results they receive appear to be inaccurate or misleading.

Looking at the bigger picture, generative AI’s impact on the organization should not be overlooked either. The use of AI by the wider workforce cannot be denied, but it needs to come with usage guidelines. Inaccuracy aside, there may also be issues of plagiarism and privacy concerns.

Sample AI Usage Policy

Purpose of this policy

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard will transform the way we work. They have the potential to automate tasks, improve decision-making, and provide valuable analysis of our business.

However, the use of AI also presents new challenges in terms of accuracy, legal liability, information security and data protection. This policy outlines best practices for use of AI tools in the workplace, especially as it pertains to using sensitive data and proprietary company and customer information in these tools. Our ultimate goal is to protect employees, clients, suppliers, customers, other stakeholders, and the company from harm.

AI policy

All employees are expected to adhere to this policy when using AI tools.

• Protection of confidential data: Employees must not upload or share any data that is confidential, proprietary, or protected by regulation. This includes data relating to customers, employees, or partners. Employees also may not use company email addresses, phone numbers, or credentials to create an account with AI platforms. No company data of any kind may be submitted (copied, typed, etc.) into these platforms.
• Use of reputable AI tools: Employees should use only reputable AI tools and be cautious when using tools developed by individuals or companies without established reputations. Any AI tool used by employees must meet our security and data protection standards.
• Compliance with security policies: Employees must apply the same security best practices we use for all company and customer data. This includes using strong passwords, keeping software up-to-date, and following our data retention and disposal policies.
• Accuracy and fact-checking: All AI-generated content must be reviewed for accuracy before relying on it for work purposes. If a reliable source cannot be found to verify factual information generated by AI, that information cannot be used for work purposes.
• Ethical Use: AI must not be used to create content that is inappropriate, discriminatory or otherwise harmful to others or the company.