'We're not just hoping to teach HR professionals around how does AI go through resumes, but where is the place for human intervention?'
For many, there has long been a lingering fear that Artificial Intelligence (AI) could take over jobs or render human roles obsolete — and with IBM’s recent move, that fear may be heightened, especially within HR.
IBM Chief Executive Arvind Krishna recently announced that the organization would begin using AI agents to replace the work of a few hundred HR employees, in order to free up staff and hire more programmers and salespeople.
The move raises a pressing question: how can HR professionals remain relevant in an AI-driven workplace?
Jelena Zikic, an associate professor from York University’s School of Human Resource Management, says educational institutions and programs need to change the way they teach HR professionals to stay relevant in the age of AI.
“With the upskilling... the focus of what we teach may need to shift to this kind of interaction between human contribution and what AI can and cannot do,” she says.
AI won’t replace all of HR
The first thing HR professionals need to know? AI isn’t coming for everyone’s job, she says.
Although Zikic notes that repetitive, predictable tasks such as payroll and administration may largely be taken over by AI, even those tasks still require human oversight.
Lee Ji-eun, IBM’s Korean CTO, shared that the tech giant currently uses an AskHR agent that has automated 94 per cent of tasks, including vacation requests and pay statements
“There can be challenges once this is outsourced to and replaced by AI. And, so, there is a need for keeping people in some of these roles where we need more of, emotional intelligence-type skills or empathy,” Zikic says.
That’s why the upskilling focus for HR professionals isn’t just about learning how AI works, but also about understanding when human judgement is essential and how to collaborate with AI, Zikic says.
“AI literacy is not very simple, because we're not just hoping to teach HR professionals around, how does AI go through resumes? But also, where is the place for human intervention, and at what point is that needed, and in what way?” she says.
Become the AI expert
Matissa Hollister, assistant professor of Organizational Behaviour at McGill University, believes there are two paths HR professionals can take depending on their strengths and interests in this changing landscape.
Hollister, whose research focuses on the changing nature of work and careers, is currently studying the growing use of machine learning in recruitment. She previously collaborated with the World Economic Forum to develop a tool guiding HR on ethical AI use.
“There’s the broader route one can take with HR — to try and become more of a specialist [with] knowledge of AI,” she says.
Staying on top of AI developments can be difficult, Hollister notes, but it’s essential for HR professionals to keep up with emerging capabilities and think critically about how to apply them in their work.
If HR professionals want to focus on becoming that “AI expert,” she says, they can concentrate on how AI can be implemented in the HR space — especially given existing limitations and evolving laws.
“Being knowledgeable of the regulations, and its potential to violate existing labour laws as well as upcoming regulations around AI and employment would be important for HR,” she says.
Doubling down on soft skills
But not everyone has to be an AI expert. Another possible path is focusing on skills that make HR irreplaceably human.
“The people who are gung-ho about AI and HR, they kind of claim, ‘Oh, it's going to be the opportunity to actually remove the tedious, bureaucratic aspect of HR and make HR what we all want it to be, which is the human side,’” Hollister says.
“So, there is the potential for HR people to go that route, which is being really good at dealing with complex situations, problem-solving, dealing with human emotions — all things that AI systems are not going to be so great at”.
However, she emphasizes that HR professionals who want to move into higher leadership roles will need to make a technical shift to AI. Leaders don’t necessarily have to know all the technical ins and outs of coding, but they must know how to oversee and manage AI tools — and how to use them strategically.
“I think if you want to have a more executive-level role in HR, you're going to have to go more the route of having a good grasp of AI, data analytics, and of how it can be used,” Hollister adds.
As time goes on, she says, more organizations will be demanding those skills and tools.
Education lags behind
While this shift is happening fast, unfortunately, many university programs haven’t yet caught up.
A review of publicly available college and university offerings in Canada shows that there are currently no widely recognized programs focused specifically on the application of AI in human resources. However, some institutions offer broader postgraduate AI programs geared toward business leaders, including HR professionals.
“Universities in general are sometimes slow-moving in terms of, change and reshaping our programs and offerings,” Zikici says.
“This is more about major curricular changes, and it has to do with also finding the right type of professors, faculty—like talent—that is able to teach these new areas and topics. And, so, [it’s about] either existing faculty gaining more insight and education into the newest kind of models and issues, which is one way, or really bringing in professionals that are specifically trained in these areas, such as AI literacy and HR.”
Zikic notes that smaller courses or postgraduate programs can help professionals and leaders in this space to keep up with the fast-moving environment while academic programs take time to adapt.
“I believe there are lots of online courses and offerings around AI literacy in particular. Now I'm not actually 100 per cent sure how much of it is tailored to HR, which it doesn't have to be, but you obviously have to find the right course that will help you in your daily tasks and understanding the issues in your organization,” she says.
