From smart homes that have everything controlled by a voice command to smart cars that could steer, drive, and maneuver through traffic and corners, everything is being automated.
AI and automation have been central topics in HR discussions for quite some time.
They present a double-edged sword, bringing us incredible advances but also raising a scary question: will the use of AI and automation mean that jobs will be done by robots, leaving humans without work? This debate remains far from settled.
The below article tries to contemplate the future of AI and automation in HR with special reference to the merits of the subject area.
AI and Automation: Boon or a Bane?
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a number of employment professionals correlated joblessness with the expanding use of computer technology. Technological advancement caused by computerization was considered to lead to unemployment.
Today, the business world is experiencing a similar situation as it takes a step forward in embracing AI and automation in every function. During this time, however, Barry Jones, an Australian polymath, argued the opposite, supporting the role of computerization in creating more job opportunities.
Despite the fact that the late 1980s marked a steep rise in the utilization of computers, there was an even more significant increase in the early 1990s when the price of ‘the simple computer’ dropped significantly. However, this did not call for a massive deskilling of the workforce.
If the last 50 years have shown us something, it’s that technology remains a friend, not an adversary, to the worker. It is still on a mission to eliminate jobs that are painful, strenuous, hazardous, or monotonous.
Can AI and Automation Take Over HR?
Despite decades of warnings that robots and AI would replace millions of middle-class jobs, automation, and technological development have not made human labor obsolete.
But the past relationship between automation and employment does not settle the debate about how they might interact in the future. This is especially true as advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and robotics increase the potential for labor replacement on an unprecedented scale.
However, it wouldn't be wrong to consider the myriad ways in which new technologies are paving the way for new kinds of work available and how the workforce is adapting to take advantage of the opportunities they create.
For example, AI in HR can support three key needs: automating typically back-office administrative and financial activities, gaining insights into the workforce through people analytics, and better engaging with employees. Some of the other ways AI is making waves in the HR landscape are as follows:
Automating HR Operations
A survey found that 38% of HR leaders are piloting, planning to deploy, or have already deployed generative AI (GenAI), up from 19% in June 2023. One of the top use cases was prioritizing administrative tasks, policy, and document generation (42%).
Chatbots, automated HR case routing, employee data management, employee self-service, and help desk support are just a few of the repetitive tasks that AI-powered systems can handle.
Hiring and acquiring talent
In combination with human intuition, creativity, and ingenuity, AI can be a powerful tool for talent recognition and identification of likely candidates for open positions in organizations of all sizes.
For example, a major airline has begun using AI software to streamline its hiring processes. It uses this software to maintain a dynamic database of potential candidates for future positions. So when a new job opening arises within the company, the airline can reach out to a preselected pool of likely candidates, including those who had applied for previous positions or submitted their CVs when there were no vacancies.
It all boils down to the practice of using automation and AI to solve specialized skills that otherwise are barriers to productivity.
Such automation also has the potential to unlock opportunities that were previously unattainable by augmenting a different set of workers. When seen as a form of augmentation, automation could drive HR efficiency while unlocking transformative opportunities for people with less specialized skills.
Demystifying the Age-old Perception: Automation or Augmentation?
Automation replaces tasks, but augmentation enhances human expertise and offers a sustainable approach to societal well-being and economic growth. Looking more closely at the interactions of AI and automation with HR, these technologies may substitute for some types of labor but are generally complementary to other types of labor and will therefore increase demand for them.
In particular, these technologies appear to be complementary to workers performing non-routine, cognitive-intensive work. Automation as a form of augmentation can not only supercharge business operations but also empower the average worker by helping to democratize opportunity.
A new way of thinking is required to promote the idea of AI and Automation to work with today's workforce. According to another study, 40% of senior executives think their workforce will require reskilling due to AI and automation over the next three years.
The study also found that 87% of respondents believe that employee roles will be enhanced rather than replaced by generative AI, with the impact varying by job function.
Navigating the Impact of AI and Automation in HR
AI and automation will complement human efforts, not replace them. This narrative has now become common and shapes much of the present-day practice of HR. AI is not going to take over all the human resource work, but the functions that may go unidentified may face a lack of effectiveness and even redundancy.
Thus, in the face of AI and automation “challenges,” HR has to guarantee that it is financially wise to invest in training and updating their employees’ skills, accept or implement automation, ramp up usage of the cloud for enhanced storage and retrieval of data, apply for higher levels of security measures, and employ mobile technologies.
An organization run by AI is not a futuristic concept. Such technology is already a part of many workplaces and will continue to shape the labor market and HR. Here's how employers and employees can successfully manage generative AI and other AI-powered systems.
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