This article was written by a real human being. This is not another article on how AI will replace manpower, but more importantly, how it can be used in Human Resources to empower the labor force and maximize time management. In order to use AI to our advantage, it is important to know what it really means.
What is Artificial Intelligence (a.k.a. AI)
According to Britannica, Artificial Intelligence is defined by the ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings1. Simply put, an action that would normally require human intelligence, more specifically our capabilities to make decisions in real-time, would be done by a computer.
Related article: Leveraging HR Technology
What AI Has in Store For HR
Eliminate Bias in Talent Acquisition
New recruitment software is being created to collect resumes of potential candidates and automatically filter them, based on job descriptions and required qualifications. Not only will this save time analyzing resumes, but it will also eliminate some cognitive bias. Some software will also have onboarding features to automatically assign tasks to every department involved in the process. For example, IT will receive a notification to prepare a new user, managers will receive a notification to prepare training, purchasing to order equipment, etc. This small tweak to a basic HR task will make the process much more efficient and assigning tasks much easier.
Chatbots
Just like Amazon has Alexa, HRIS now have chatbots. Chatbots are integrated computerized programs that simulate conversation with human users and answer many standard employee-related questions such as: “How many vacation days do I have left?” “How do I file a workplace accident report?” “I need to take maternity leave, what are the next steps?” This personal HR assistant is particularly helpful to new employees, as starting a new job can often be intimidating and confusing. Having a resource person at their disposal (even a virtual one!) can improve employee experience from day one.
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Employee Experience Through AI Tools
AI specialists, in collaboration with HR professionals, are currently working on a solution that can analyze emails and communications to assess if there is a lack of motivation from employees or if training is needed. This type of AI uses sentiment analysis to provide observations of employees’ mood when writing emails and calling colleagues. It can also provide insight into their relationships with their team and supervisors. AI can, in fact, flag the smallest challenges employees are facing in the workplace. Sentiment analysis can also be used in pulse surveys, providing employers with concrete data to improve employee experience and satisfaction, hence, allowing employers to be proactive in making everyday work experience a pleasant one.
Related article: Employee Experience Management
Enhance Professional Development
It is a known fact that professional development highly influences employee engagement and is one of the key factors explaining why employees contemplate leaving their current employer. This can often be solved with internal mobility and AI can once again be very helpful. According to IBM2, an AI solution can deliver a direct means for employees who want growth or change. All that is required is access to data about skills, jobs, competencies, and career paths. A digital assistant could also be an option for employees who rather explore their career path options within their organization on their own, before formally speaking with their manager.
The prospect of allowing HR to spend more time working directly with employees and management rather than being bogged down by administrative tasks, is exciting, however, it will take time to fully integrate AI into everyday life. While some companies are already using AI in HR, these tools are extremely costly and are generally still at testing phase so are likely quite a while out for most small and medium-sized businesses.
1 Artificial Intelligence | Definition, Examples, and … https://www.britannica.com/technology/artificial-intelligence
2 Revealing Career Development Opportunities with AI | IBM … https://www.ibm.com/smarter-workforce/hidden-in-plain-sight-revealing-career-development-opportunities-with-ai
