Harnessing AI should be top of mind for HR leaders
Harnessing artificial intelligence to enhance the human resources function should be among the top priorities of chief HR officers in 2026, according to Gartner.
The business insights firm said CHROs should also have their own HR-focused AI strategy as their organisations develop a centralised AI strategy.
"With an HR-focused AI strategy in place, CHROs will evolve their HR operating models to unlock new strategic capabilities," Gartner said in a media release.
The insight comes as 83% of HR professionals globally express excitement, hope, or optimism over the potential of agentic AI, according to Lattice's 2026 State of People Strategy Report.
The Lattice report found that 72% of high-performing HR teams across the world are already using four or more specialised HR tools, compared to an average of three.
"Most organisations and vendors are still experimenting, but CHROs need to be open to reimagining work, processes and talent to truly harness AI's value," Gartner said.
'Pervasive use of AI '
In addition to an HR-focused AI strategy, Gartner also said HR leaders should prepare for a "now-next" strategy in their organisations.
This strategy clearly defines how to get the most from their talent over the next 12 months, and the actions to inflect better talent outcomes over the next one to three years.
"Pervasive use of AI will shape work going forward, but the exact shape organisations take will depend largely on the decisions executive leaders make about how and why AI is used," said Mark Whittle, Vice President of Advisory in the Gartner HR practice, in a statement.
According to Gartner, CHROs should be prepared for human-AI work scenarios, based on how and where AI is deployed in their organisation.
Helping leadership amid change
Meanwhile, Gartner also noted that CHROs should also prioritise helping leaders "routinise" change, stating three main actions can help this:
- Clarify to leaders that they must focus employees on making progress across the change journey and reset leader expectations about their role in change.
- Help leaders regulate employees' – and their own – discomfort with change by teaching them to understand their own emotions, what's driving them, and what they can do to cope and move forward.
- Teach leaders how to build employees' change reflexes by helping leaders identify what core change skills matter most, finding moments within daily work to practise those skills and securing employee commitment to building the necessary reflexes.
CHROs should also help managers in holding productivity discussions with employees amid expectations to deliver a culture that fosters productivity and engagement.
"At the team level, employees must feel empowered to provide open feedback on team-defined productivity behaviours, actively shaping what works best for them and working together effectively," Whittle said.
"HR must equip managers to have actionable productivity discussions with employees. And employees must feel empowered to solve their own productivity problems."
