HR leading the way in approaching AI as enabling tool, says HR leader
Artificial intelligence has become one of the most talked-about forces in the workplace, and HR leaders are feeling the pressure to move quickly. New AI tools promise speed and efficiency, but they also raise hard questions about trust, transparency, and what should never be automated.
In a recent conversation with François Gilbert, Vice President of Human Resources at Lilly Canada, one idea kept resurfacing and quietly reframed the entire discussion.
AI should help HR become more human, not less.
At its best, AI doesn’t replace judgment or leadership. It removes friction. It clears administrative noise so HR professionals can spend more time on work that actually requires a human touch — the conversations that build trust, the decisions that shape culture, and the moments where nuance matters more than speed.
HR isn’t behind on AI. In some ways, it’s ahead
There’s a persistent narrative that HR is lagging other functions when it comes to AI adoption. François challenges that assumption.
“We’re really not behind,” he says. “If anything, we’re ahead, especially in how thoughtfully we’re approaching AI.”
In some organizations, AI has been introduced primarily as a monitoring or enforcement tool. HR’s approach at Lilly Canada looks different. The emphasis is on enablement, not control, and on transparency, not surveillance.
AI is framed as a supporting tool rather than a mechanism to manage behaviour. That distinction matters in a function built on trust. HR may be moving carefully, but careful isn’t the same as slow.
The real HR problem AI solves: administrative overload
The most immediate value of AI in HR isn’t futuristic analytics or polished dashboards. It’s relief.
“We still have way too many administrative tasks,” François says. “People sometimes feel like they are drowning under large volumes of admin work.”
Many HR roles are effectively “N of 1,” with one person managing benefits, policies, employee questions, reporting, and compliance for an entire affiliate. Lean teams combined with growing complexity leave little room for strategic thinking.
AI isn’t about doing important HR work for people. It’s about creating capacity. It gives time back for work that actually moves the organization forward, such as employee connection, workforce planning, leadership development, and organizational health.
What success looks like one year in
When asked what success looks like in an AI-enabled HR function, François doesn’t mention tools.
“Success is a better balance between strategic work and demand realization,” he says.
In practical terms, that means more time spent on workforce planning, organizational design, leadership development, and strategic decision- making, and less time spent reconciling spreadsheets or answering the same question for the fifteenth time.
AI isn’t the goal. Better use of HR’s time is.
Clear boundaries for ethical use
François is equally clear about where AI should not be used.
There are firm no-fly zones for AI in HR, including termination decisions, mental health support, accommodations, medical leaves, and final compensation or performance decisions.
“Those are moments where human-to-human conversations are essential,” he says. AI can help gather information or surface insights, but humans make the final call.
This balance keeps accountability, empathy, and responsibility exactly where they belong.
AI as a leadership enabler
François references the book More Human to reinforce a simple idea. AI should create efficiency, so leaders have more time to lead where it actually matters.
“Use AI to create efficiencies so you have more time to lead where your human leadership is meaningful.”
Whether it’s automating workforce analytics or streamlining payroll processes, the vision is end-to-end automation with intentional human pauses for review and interpretation.
“There still needs to be a pause for review,” François emphasizes. Automation should speed thinking, not bypass it.
Values don’t change. Tools do.
Lilly is nearly 150 years old. Tools have evolved dramatically, but values haven’t. “It’s not because the tools change that the values should,” François says.
Integrity, respect for people, and excellence remain non‑negotiable. Used thoughtfully, AI isn’t a threat to those values. It’s a way to accelerate the mission while staying grounded in them, says Francois.
In HR, the promise of AI isn’t less humanity. It’s more.
François Gilbert is the Vice-President, Human Resources, at Lilly Canada.
