The subject of AI or artificial intelligence and the role it will play in many industries is a hot topic in recent times. More people than ever voice concerns that they will be ‘replaced’ by robots. Even in the HR industry, there are concerns that the number of jobs may decline as AI systems take over parts of the role. So what impact might AI have on the HR industry?
The growth of AI
According to a report on AI from Deloitte last year, the adoption of artificial intelligence is rapidly expanding. 41% of companies that answered the survey rated the topic as very important and nearly 50% of them said that their companies were already involved with automation projects. Nearly one quarter said these were used for routine tasks while another 16% said AI was used to augment human skills while only 7% said they were using it to restructure work entirely.
Experts say that HR is one of the areas most likely to see robots, or more precisely robotic process automation (RPA) replacing some human labour. By using RPA to replace humans for standardised, repetitive HR administration tasks or programs, this would free up humans to do tasks that AI simply cannot manage.
Using AI in HR
One of the most popular examples of AI in action in the HR industry is the use of chatbots to help with candidate screening. While this is far from a guaranteed system, some companies have found that it can help to cut down the bulk numbers of people applying for a job before sending the ones that best match the requirements to the full HR team.
Talent acquisition teams within HR are already laid down with admin tasks such as checking resumes and doing initial interview screening. Their workload could be significantly lightened by the use of AI, allowing them to concentrate on the final steps of the process – interviewing and hiring the right people.
Another area that AI can assist HR staff is with analytics software. There is now software that can recognise faces, identify gender, understand mood in a voice and even pick up on things like lying in an interview. These tools can be used to help select candidates but also for things like identifying career options for existing employees and improving leadership skills. The analysis by the software can be given to a real person to then make informed decisions.
In the last couple of years, we’ve witnessed the HR market practically reinventing itself, and observed features we never thought we’d use become indispensable within our HR strategies. Now we can find software and HR modules that personalise the connection between employers and their employees, and make the HR process easier.
Not a threat, a time saver
There is always a fear that robots will come along and take over, leaving us without jobs and purpose – too many Hollywood movies ensure that! But the truth is at the moment, AI is clever and ideal for replacing manual and repetitive tasks but is little threat to people’s jobs. Instead what it can do is to reduce workloads, ensure people are best using their skills and talents while leaving jobs to automation that can suck the time out of the day. This results in happier, less stressed and more productive HR teams.
To find out more about our integrated payroll HR modules and how you can include them in your payroll process, get in touch by email, call or contact form.