Jonathan L Parker & Associates

Blog

Our Insights

Driving HR Innovation: The Role of Generative AI in Human Resources

This is the second in a two-part series on Generative AI. Click How is Generative AI Transforming Your Job and the Workplace? to read part one.

When it comes to Generative AI (GenAI), here are two questions for HR Leaders:

  • Is your HR function a laggard, enquirer, or innovator? The Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) characterizes each of these types here to help you answer this one.

  • Do you have bold plans to transform HR with the technologies now within your function’s reach?

You're not alone if you haven’t yet harnessed GenAI’s potential. According to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG):

“Adoption of AI tools has been slow to gain widespread momentum in the human resources space, but GenAI technologies—which can create content from disparate sources and quickly summarize multiple data sets—offer the HR discipline several powerfully compelling capabilities.”
— Boston Consulting Group

BCG identified four key GenAI impacts that enable HR to increase productivity across the function and become a more strategic function, (Anticipate, Attract, Develop, and Engage), as shown at the top of the following chart.

Boston Consulting Group: How Generative AI Will Transform HR

“Nearly 70% of respondents said they expect generative AI to heavily impact Human Resources roles in the next two to five years. Only about 20% said it would not, and 12% said they were not sure. ”
— State of HR 2023, HR Exchange Network

How is HR Leveraging Gen AI?

While much of the buzz has so far been focused on generative AI’s potential and long-term strategic impact, some exciting use cases exist. In this post, we explore some of these with a specific interest in learning and development examples and best practices. First, let’s review GenAI’s potential applications within HR.

To answer this question, we turned to GenAI. Here’s what we learned from ChatGPT (3.5), starting with this caveat:

“As of my last knowledge update in January 2022, various applications of generative AI in Human Resources (HR) were emerging. However, it's essential to note that the field is rapidly evolving, and new developments may have occurred since then. Here are some ways HR was using generative AI:”

According to HR Exchange’s State of HR 2023 report, investments in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning dominated the 2023 priority list in marked contrast to 2022 plans. The chart below shows where investments are likely being made.

“The HR function is figuring out which use cases are most relevant to them. And chief human resources officers are already making some strides: use cases about talent acquisition or help desks, for example, in terms of the services HR offers its employees.”
— Brook Weddle, McKinsey Talks Talent

GenAI Tools for HR, including Learning & Development

In a follow-up question, ChatGPT identified ten companies that are developing GenAI for HR, including IBM Watson Talent, WorkDay, SAP, and ADP.

Companies that deliver GenAI platforms in the learning and development area are different from traditional Learning Management Systems in that they personalize the learning experience by understanding the learner’s behavior and delivering a personalized version of a course, complete with a coach in many instances. Josh Bersin traces the evolution of corporate learning. In “Autonomous Corporate Learning Platforms: Arriving Now, Powered by AI,” Bersin describes a new breed of AI-powered dynamic content systems that he predicts “will change everything”.

Noteworthy solution providers are as follows:

  • Arist is a content generation tool that offes users the ability to teach, train, and shift behavior in minutes, not months.” Included in its management courses are “HBR Prompts”, which combines content from Harvard Business Publishing with Arist’s powerful delivery system. View a live demo of Arist in this recorded webinar: Josh Bersin and Arist: The Moment is Now for AI in HR.

  • Galileo™ positions itself as the world’s first AI-powered expert assistant for HR, allowing users to ask questions and prompt the system to compare vendors, list best practices, and even create implementation plans, historical perspectives, and in-depth analysis.

  • BuiltIn identified eighteen GenAI tools available predominantly for recruiting and candidate matching.

  • Sana uses detailed learner data to assess competencies and learning styles, enabling the creation or recommendation of customized learning content. Its learning platform solutions include leadership development, employee onboarding, and compliance training. Learn more in this Josh Bersin Interview With Joel Hellermark, CEO of Sana – AI-Powered Learning Arrives.

  • Quantified offers an AI Simulation and Coaching Platform that supports leadership development and sales training.

  • LinkedIn offers Learn with AI, a new AI-powered coaching feature that initially focuses on management and soft skills courses. LinkedIn has also launched an AI recruiter tool that uses natural language processing to help recruiters refine their searches for talent.

  • Amazon has committed to equipping 29 million people with free cloud computing skills by 2025 through AWS Educate. The company has also recently announced its AI Ready Initiative, which is designed to provide free AI skills training to 2 million people globally by 2025.

  • IBM’s SkillsBuild will provide free AI training to 2 million people through 2026. This includes Gen AI coursework structured around training for specific technical roles.

  • Uplimit offers in-demand skills training for individuals, teams, and organizations. This includes subscriptions to leadership courses in addition to technical skills training.

Examples of Best Practices in HR

  • HBR reviewed three companies’ initiatives that are focused on reskilling and learning:

    • Unilever’s U-Work helps employees transition between diverse assignments based on their skills.

    • IBM’s apprenticeship program supports the development of skills essential for future roles at the company, building a framework centered on learning courses and on-the-job training.

    • Genpact’s AI-enabled learning platform harnesses the collective intelligence of Genpact experts to deliver personalized reskilling paths for their 115,000+ global workforce.

  • HR leaders at Wortell discuss how they are using GenAI in their recruitment marketing and employee branding efforts to stand out in a competitive hiring market.

  • Zavvy showcases numerous examples of innovative companies, including nine organizations that have embedded AI and machine learning into their people processes, addressing hiring, diversity, onboarding, employee engagement, performance management, and culture.

  • Laura Fields, Sr Director of Recruiting Operations at Spectrum, shares practical applications of AI in Talent Acquisition in this podcast, including how Spectrum is using AI to improve decision-making in the hiring funnel.

  • Josh Bersin summarizes four major use cases for AI learning and development, concluding that AI is transforming corporate learning even faster than he expected.

“In all my years as an analyst, I’ve never seen a technology with so much potential. AI will revolutionize the L&D landscape, reinventing how we do our work so L&D professionals can spend time consulting with the business. ”
— Josh Bersin
GenAI Examples in HR

How JLPA Clients Are Leveraging GenAI

We asked some of our clients about their GenAI initiatives and investments that are being made in GAI to make employees more efficient and productive and to get an edge on the competition. Examples are shown on the right.

Let’s not forget that HR wears two hats when it comes to GenAI initiatives. Not only must the function focus on its internal needs, but it also plays a key role in empowering the workforce to make innovative, ethical, and safe use of AI throughout the enterprise. Correlation-One is an organization that helps HR navigate the GenAI landscape. In How HR Leaders Can Guide the GenAI Revolution, three pivotal roles are mapped out for HR leaders.

Many HR Leaders are behind the curve when it comes to GenAI and its application to the HR function and the broader enterprise. We hope this post and the resources here will inspire you to learn more and begin your journey.

Reading & References

Research

HR Best practice examples

Articles

Resources

  • Artificial Intelligence in HR. This Josh Bersin Academy course will help you prepare for both the present and future impacts of AI in your work.

  • How HR Leaders Can Guide the GenAI Revolution. Three pivotal roles that HR leaders can adopt to ensure a smooth transition to an AI-driven work environment.

  • Innovation Insight: AI-Enabled Skills Management for L&D Leaders. Skills management is at a pivotal juncture for learning and development (L&D) leaders. Download this complimentary Gartner report to learn about AI-enabled skills management and the Gartner recommendations on how to manage skills data, including types of technology solutions and what to look for in potential vendor partners to strengthen your skills data.

HR Learning, WorkplacePam GrosickiArtificial Intelligence, GAI, Human Resources, learning and development