Gen AI for HR – Top Ways of Disruption
We are a generation of buzzwords. Speaking of which, the most prominent buzzword of today’s era is – Generative AI. I was compelled to dive deeper into the arena of Generative AI, not because of the cliché “staying ahead of the curve”, but to better equip myself with another cliché albeit a reality – “workforce of the future”.
What is Generative AI
Generative AI enables users to quickly generate new content based on diverse inputs. It is the branch of AI that is adept at creating new insight/information by leveraging neural networks to identify the patterns and structures in the data it has. It is also known as Creative AI or Strong AI. By create, I imply a serious creation like creating music, enhanced business processes, drug discovery and even product design!!
The edge over Traditional AI
Traditional AI, or weak AI, serves the purpose of predicting basis the existing set of data and rules inputted. It can perform specific tasks and even make decisions basis the existing rules or patterns. However, Generative AI builds new data based on the input and has the capability to adjust to changes in input data and be creative and more dynamic in its output.
Generative AI in HR
Gen AI will transform HR by helping it expand its influence and become more of a strategic partner than an enablement function. Some of the key influences by Gen AI in HR will be –
- Hyper personalization of HR services
- A highly comprehensive data-driven talent ecosystem
- Enhanced self-service bots for employees, thus freeing the time spent on them for HR professionals
Top HR functions which Gen AI will disrupt
- Talent Acquisition – Gen AI could assist in screening the multitudes of applications that come in for a job opportunity by a set of evolving questions that will assess the role fitment of the applicant. On the other side, there could be Gen AI powered platforms built to answer any queries on the job descriptions and role clarity for the job for the applicants, thus making the entire process a win for all.
- Onboarding – Studies prove, that the potential quit cases are evidently visible in the first 60 days of joining itself and most of them can be addressed. Gen AI can help build a platform for addressing any queries employees might have in their first 60-90 days thus providing them with a more interactive experience, unlike the chatbots powered by Traditional AI. Presence of AI powered bots, could also help build confidentiality into queries that could be sensitive in nature and address or redirect them to the right teams.
- Learning and Development – Hyper personalization of learning has been championed by organizations across industries. With Gen AI, firms can build an in-built feature into LMS/learning portals which will suggest the next possible and most recommended training the learner can take. This feature will also be able to dynamically adjust the difficulty basis the training completions and assessment scores as recorded for the learner. Gen AI can also help build more complex and varied learner personas.
- HR Operations – The most prominent KRA for HR operations has often been the number of queries the team solves and the efficacy of it. With Gen AI, a highly interactive and efficient chatbot can be built for being the first stop for employees to register and get resolution for their queries.
- Performance Management – While performance management relies immensely on the feedback shared by the evaluator/advisor/manager, Gen AI can assist in performance management by suggesting possible career paths to employees, basis their strengths and weaknesses and hence build SMART goals, which can lay a foundation for their high performance.
Having known and learnt about the advantages and the prowess of Gen AI, it is also essential to understand that it does have some shortcomings as it requires data inputs with high precision. Regardless, we are just in initial stages of learning and establishing Gen AI, and the future of Gen AI carries immense potential.
Sources – upGrad, NTT Data Research article on Gen AI, Forbes, BCG and other similar research articles.
Achala Bhat,
Talent Development Leader and Keynote Speaker