Where are you in your AI journey?

Where are you in your AI journey? It can be bewildering, like a sandstorm that hasn’t yet settled. It can feel safer to wait a while until you can see clearly.

We can’t put off concerted action for very long, however. In some organisations, experimentation with AI in silos is leading to a ‘wild west’ kind of scenario. HR’s unique responsibility for governance across the whole organisation can leave the function exposed.

This is tough, when the topic is so technical. Algorithms are being developed all over the place, often without guardrails.

There are many angles to this, including:

1. Those within the HR function that you can clearly influence and probably control, e.g:

• How HR should adopt (and govern) AI tools for recruitment, performance, engagement — but avoid pitfalls (bias, transparency, trust).
• HR operating models and digital transformation: what HR functions will look like in 3-5 years.
• Data-privacy, ethics in HR tech, employee trust in algorithmic decisions.
• Future skills for HR practitioners (data literacy, digital mindset).

2. The potential and need for HR to influence the wider organisation – here are just three of the many tricky factors:

• Implications for culture, engagement, trust, skills … you’re likely to be in a strong position to collaborate and influence in HR’s ‘technical’ areas but we know that HR needs to work with business leaders to find the best solutions.
• The role HR wants to play across the organisation – do you want to lead, or follow?
• Accountability and responsibility for areas beyond HR’s expertise such as auditing algorithms and escalation paths.

Here are the results of a recent LinkedIn poll: