New SHRM research, The State of AI in HR 2026, sends a clear signal to CHROs: as the adoption of artificial intelligence accelerates, the opportunity to shape its impact on the workforce is immense. HR leaders risk being sidelined if they don’t take an active leadership role, including managing the risks that come with uneven, reactive, or poorly governed AI implementation.
Drawing on insights from more than 1,900 HR professionals, the findings highlight critical dynamics reshaping HR and underscore where CHROs must act now to help guide, not follow, AI implementation in their organizations. CHROs who lead with intention and look beyond efficiency can ensure AI strengthens the human core of HR.
Here are five insights from the research that CHROs should know.
1. Uneven AI adoption creates a competitive gap.
AI adoption is gaining traction in the HR landscape, but it remains far from universal. Just 39% of organizations have implemented AI in their HR functions, with another 7% planning to do so this year. Nearly one-third (31%) have no plans to launch AI initiatives. In total, 62% of organizations are using AI somewhere in the business, signaling that HR risks lagging behind broader enterprise adoption.
For CHROs, this uneven landscape represents a growing competitive divide, particularly in areas such as recruiting and HR technology, where speed and experience matter most.
Action for CHROs: Conduct a rapid AI maturity assessment across HR functions and prioritize two to three use cases in which AI can deliver measurable gains in speed, quality, or cost within the next 12 months.
2. AI use in HR is concentrated and often unmeasured.
Despite the hype, less than half of organizations are expected to use AI in HR in 2026. Where it is being used, adoption is concentrated in a few areas: recruiting (27%), HR technology (21%), and learning and development (17%).
Even more concerning, 56% of HR functions do not formally measure the success of their AI investments, and only 16% use ROI as a metric. This suggests many organizations are deploying AI tactically without fully understanding or capturing its business impact.
Action for CHROs: Build a phased AI roadmap that moves from automation to augmentation, pairing near-term efficiency wins with longer-term investments in analytics and employee experience.
3. HR isn’t leading AI strategy — yet.
Despite its impact on talent and work, HR is rarely the primary driver of AI efforts. More than half of organizations (52%) do not involve HR in AI strategy or vision. Leadership of AI initiatives typically sits with IT, legal, or cross-functional teams. Even in areas in which HR should play a central role, such as upskilling, only 28% say that HR is leading these efforts, compared to 29% that are led by cross-functional teams. This lack of ownership creates a risk that AI implementations will be disconnected from workforce strategy and employee experience.
Action for CHROs: Establish HR as a core stakeholder in enterprise AI governance by securing a formal role in cross-functional AI steering committees and influencing both strategy and vendor selection.
4. AI reshapes roles more than it eliminates.
Despite fears of widespread job loss, HR professionals said AI is instead more likely to be driving workforce evolution in their organizations. While 39% of organizations report that AI implementation has led to shifts in job responsibilities, 24% report it has led to the creation of new roles, and 57% are seeing increased upskilling and reskilling opportunities. By contrast, just 7% report job displacement.
At the same time, AI is delivering tangible performance gains, with 87% of HR professionals reporting improved efficiency, 75% improved work quality, and 70% increased creativity.
Action for CHROs: Launch targeted upskilling initiatives that redefine HR roles around AI-enabled work, including training on data literacy, prompt engineering, and human-AI collaboration.
5. Governance gaps and compliance risks are growing.
AI governance remains inconsistent and, in many cases, insufficient. While 49% of organizations have policies in place to regulate AI use among employees, only a quarter believe those policies are future-proof. Meanwhile, 57% of HR professionals in states with workforce-related AI regulations are not aware of those rules. Among those who are aware, only 12% have taken steps to ensure compliance. (Currently, 19 of the most populous states have enacted AI laws or regulations relating to employment.) Combined with ongoing concerns around data privacy and security, these gaps expose organizations to significant legal and reputational risk.
Action for CHROs: Balance innovation with risk mitigation by developing and operationalizing a principle-based AI governance framework supported by training, audit mechanisms, and cross-functional oversight.
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