Ryan FowlerBrightmine (formerly XpertHR) has released a new study showing that only 32% of HR department employees fully understand AI’s potential. The study also revealed that 80% of organisations have not provided any AI training, indicating that inadequate education is a significant factor in the lack of awareness. This gap suggests that HR professionals may continue to struggle with the skills needed to use AI effectively.
Scott Walker, CEO of Brightmine, said: “The lack of awareness among HR employees is alarming but understandable. Generative AI has had a meteoric rise and there are huge amounts of noise surrounding it, but there is still a lot of demystification needed not just among HR professionals but across senior leadership teams. Take AI which has the capacity to augment decisions and enhance efficiency within the HR department, there is a real danger if the knowledge isn’t there, HR will not be able to make full use of the benefits of this technology.”
The future of AI in HR remains promising
Despite the current knowledge gaps, HR professionals see the potential value of AI, particularly in automating administrative tasks (74%) and enhancing data analytics (59%). Currently, HR spends about 20% of its time on administrative tasks and another 5% on data collection and analysis. AI could significantly reduce the time spent on these activities.
The need for proactive HR leadership
For AI to be successfully implemented, HR must take a leading role. However, only 35% of HR departments are involved in AI adoption discussions with senior leadership, and 24% report no involvement at all.
Walker added: “Not only is technology changing the way organisations operate, but technology is also impacting every phase of the employment lifecycle, generating demands for new skills and impacting the way people work. As agents of change, HR leaders should be actively shaping and driving the transformation agenda. It is vital that HR teams develop capabilities in digital fluency and data literacy to take advantage of technology to increase efficiency and unlock business value to help their organisations stay relevant and profitable.”
