HR leaders expect AI to hit headcounts

Only 5% of HR leaders have implemented generative AI in their HR functions, according to a new survey, but most feel it will hit jobs. Meanwhile, a compliance agency has specified where the dangers lie when using AI in recruitment.

Consultancy Gartner found, however, that more than one-third of HR leaders expected to lead their organisations enterprise-wide AI ethics approach and more than half were currently exploring how they can use generative AI.

HR leaders responding to the survey said that administrative tasks, policies, document generation and recruiting including job descriptions, were the areas where AI was poised to take a role within their organisations.

Whereas 5% had implemented AI, a further 9% reported they were in the process of conducting generative AI pilots.

A significant minority of respondents (14%) had no intention of deploying AI in the near future.

Dion Love, vice president of advisory in the Gartner HR practice, said that redundancies were likely as more firms implemented AI: “Our survey revealed that most HR leaders expect a decrease in headcount within the HR function once generative AI is implemented due to the increased efficiency.”

Helen Poitevin, vice president analyst in the Gartner HR practice, said: “Progressive organisations will begin to broaden how they use generative AI – for instance, our June 21 survey revealed more than one-quarter of HR leaders are planning to use generative AI to develop personalised career development plans.”

Gartner’s survey revealed that of the 167 HR leaders who responded, more than 60% were participating in enterprise-wide discussions around their organisation’s use of generative AI. More than half (58%) of HR leaders reported that they were collaborating with IT leaders and 45% were collaborating with their organisation’s legal and compliance function to explore the potential use cases.

There was optimism about the benefits of AI with 84% of leaders sure that generative AI would make existing HR activities more productive, while two-thirds told Gartner researchers that generative AI would eliminate redundant activities within the function.

Filtering candidates

Vivek Dodd, CEO of corporate compliance training service Skillcast, has warned that the use of AI to filter candidates may lead to increased uniformity rather than diversity in the workforce, as the technology was often calibrated to seek the employer’s ideal candidate.

Skillcast also pointed to concerns about the lack of transparency, accountability, and regulation surrounding AI recruitment tools, highlighting the potential for misinformation and biased outcomes in the hiring process.

Dodd said: “Within hiring, it is crucial to recognise that without careful design, implementation, and ongoing monitoring, AI has the potential to worsen the biases it aims to combat. Unchecked algorithms, powered by biased and unrepresentative data, can unintentionally magnify discriminatory practices in the hiring process and fall foul of the equality laws.

“AI itself is not inherently biased or discriminatory. Rather, it operates by analysing and making judgments based on large data sets. If these data sets contain underlying biases or reflect existing societal inequalities, the AI algorithms may unknowingly perpetuate those biases. The key challenge is to ensure that the training data is diverse and representative and the results are carefully monitored for potential biases.”

Dangers of ‘technosolutionism’

Skillcast pointed to a University of Cambridge study released last year that concluded using AI to remove biases was a dangerous example of “technosolutionism”: seeking technological solutions to provide a quick fix for deeply ingrained problems.

Meanwhile, the results of a Deloitte study launched this week show that more than a quarter of UK adults have used generative artificial intelligence such as chatbots. The research suggested that about four million people have also used it for work.

Tech expert Sjuul van der Leeuw, CEO of Deployteq said: “These figures underline the fact that generative AI is already playing a crucial role in our daily lives and this trend is set to continue indefinitely. From transforming public services, shaking up traditional business models and turbocharging the creative industries, it will continue to have a major impact on our economic growth.

“However, it’s vital that nobody is left behind, and this means having the right training and governance policies in place so that this technology can be used responsibly.”

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