'Playtime is over: AI has reinvented HR' — Five takeaways from our whitepaper

We found that 84% of HR managers have noticed a growing interest in AI adoption from senior leadership. This is a positive sign, as it means that businesses are increasingly recognising the potential of AI to improve HR practices. However, there's still room for improvement. Among HR managers not yet using AI, 74% reported a lack of interest from senior leaders. This suggests that there's a need for more education and awareness about the benefits of AI at the executive level.

The whitepaper offers advice on financial forecasting and building business cases to support HR professionals in getting buy-in from leadership — that all-important piece of the puzzle for being successful with AI. 

Our research revealed that 83% of HR managers believe AI tools can contribute to cost savings. However, 30% of HR professionals are not using any AI tools in their processes, potentially missing out on these financial benefits. The message is clear: don't wait too long to get started. 

In the full whitepaper, you’ll find tips you can apply in your day-to-day work to start seeing time-saving results straight away. 

Our whitepaper highlights an interesting age divide in AI adoption. While 75% of senior HR professionals aged 18-44 are using AI tools, only 56% of those aged 44+ are doing the same. This disparity suggests that some HR professionals may be hesitant to adopt the new technology. The gap can be bridged through education and training, and it’s essential that nobody gets left behind.

If you're using AI in your HR processes, it's crucial to have a system for tracking and reporting its impact. Our research indicates that 93% of HR managers using AI tools believe they will see cost savings. However, only 63% have officially forecasted those savings. This lack of quantifiable data could make it difficult to justify continued investment in AI, and we expect to see a trend towards more rigorous reporting as we move into 2024. 

Our whitepaper emphasises the importance of education and training for successful AI implementation in HR processes. A whopping 96% of HR managers believe that some training is necessary to be successful with generative AI. 

We also found that with increased education in AI, HR managers were more likely to say there would be no challenges in implementing AI in their organisation. As one of our contributing experts Dan Sodergren emphasised: “The more we know about AI, the less we worry about it and the more we are likely to use it.”

AI has the potential to revolutionise HR practices. By understanding the key takeaways from our whitepaper, businesses can harness the power of AI to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance the employee experience. You can find out more by downloading the full study for free here. 

With thanks to our community of AI and HR experts:

• Aisling MacNamara - Senior Manager Learning & Development at LearnUpon

• Dan Sodergren - AI expert and Future of Work strategist

• Dr. Tara S. Behrend - John Richard Butler II Endowed Professor at the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations at Michigan State University 

• Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic - Chief Innovation Officer at ManpowerGroup and Professor of Business Psychology at Columbia University and University College London

• Felix Hensel - Head of Real Estate Rental, Mr. Lodge GmbH

• Hanno Renner - Co-founder and CEO of Personio

• Lucia Daub - Director of People & Strategy at BearingPoint

• Sandra Feldmann - Unicorn scale-up sourcer and global talent campaign manager

• Susanna Bogardus - Product Marketing Manager at 360Learning

• Tom Cheesewright - Applied Futurist and AI consultant