The Real Impact of AI in HR: March 2026 EN:Insights Forum Recap

AI adoption is accelerating across organizations, but new research from SHRM reveals a more complex and uneven reality within HR. At the March 2026 EN:Insights Forum, Kenny Pyle, lead HR technology analyst at SHRM, presented a preview of the latest findings from the upcoming The State of AI in HR in 2026 report. 

Drawing on survey data from more than 1,900 HR professionals, the research highlights a widening gap between AI ambition and execution along with a clear mandate for HR to step more decisively into a leadership role. The report offers a data-driven look at where AI is gaining traction, where it’s stalling, and what it means for HR leaders navigating this transformation. The research report will officially launch on April 1. 

Here are five key insights from the research.

Research Insight No. 1: AI adoption in HR remains uneven and incomplete. 

Despite constant discussion around AI, adoption within HR functions is still far from universal and varies significantly by organization size.

Key data points: 

• 60% of extra-large organizations have adopted AI in HR, while only about 1 in 3 small organizations have done so.

• 23% are using AI elsewhere in the organization, but not in HR.  

• 31% have not begun using AI at all. 

Pyle emphasized that this current landscape reflects inconsistency rather than widespread maturity.

“A lot of organizations are still trying to figure out where [AI] actually fits for them,” he said. “It’s not a question of interest, it’s a question of clarity.” 

Research Insight No. 2: Recruiting dominates as AI’s primary use case in HR.

AI adoption is not evenly distributed across HR functions. Instead, it is heavily concentrated in a few practice areas, with recruiting leading the pack, while many practice areas have yet to see a sizable deployment.

Key data points:

• Recruiting leads AI adoption at 27%.  

• HR technology follows at 21%, and learning and development at 17%. 

• 7 of the top 10 AI use cases in HR are in recruiting. 

• Common use cases include resume screening, job posting creation, and candidate matching. 

Pyle highlighted that recruiting’s data-rich, high-volume nature makes it a natural entry point for AI. 

“Organizations tend to start where the volume is highest and the friction is most obvious,” Pyle said. “For HR, that’s almost always recruiting.”

At the same time, adoption lags significantly in other areas: only 2% of organizations use AI in compliance, and just 1% use AI in inclusion and diversity. 

Research Insight No. 3: AI is reshaping work — not eliminating jobs.

While the prevailing narrative around AI is the threat of job displacement, the report found that AI’s primary impact is job transformation and creation. 

Key data points:

• Only 7% of organizations reported job displacement due to AI. 

• New job creation is 3.5 times more likely than job loss. 

• Job responsibilities are 5.5 times more likely to change than be eliminated.  

• Skills are more than 8 times as likely to be impacted as jobs are to be displaced. 

Pyle underscored the disconnect between perception and reality.

“We tend to talk about AI in terms of replacement, but what we’re actually seeing is reconfiguration of roles, workflows, and skills.” 

He added that while AI’s impact is significant, it is showing up in how work is done as opposed to whether or not it exists in the first place.

Research Insight No. 4: Governance and regulatory readiness are lagging. 

As AI adoption grows, organizations are struggling to keep pace with governance and compliance requirements.

Key data points: 

• Fewer than half of organizations have formal AI governance policies. 

• 57% of HR professionals in states with AI regulations are unfamiliar with these laws.  

Pyle warned that this gap creates real organizational risk.

“What’s emerging is a situation where the technology is moving faster than the guardrails, and that’s where organizations can get into trouble.” 

He stressed that HR must quickly build fluency in both internal governance and external regulatory requirements.

Research Insight No. 5: HR risks losing influence as AI leadership shifts elsewhere.

While AI adoption is growing across organizations, HR is not leading the charge, and in many cases, is falling behind.

Key data points:

• HR adoption of AI lags behind IT, finance, and marketing.  

• The gap between adoption of AI in HR and adoption of AI outside of HR is expected to grow from 16% to 18% by 2026. 

• Less than half of HR functions are involved in enterprise AI strategy or vision. 

• IT overwhelmingly leads AI strategy initiatives. 

“If HR isn’t helping shape how AI gets applied to work, then it’s reacting to decisions that have already been made elsewhere,” Pyle said.

He noted that HR’s limited involvement in AI strategy risks sidelining the function at a moment when workforce implications are central.

As Pyle emphasized throughout the session, the organizations that succeed will be those where HR steps forward as a strategic architect of how human-centered AI transforms work.