The Artificial Intelligence is rapidly changing the way we work in a multitude of departments of companies from all types of sectors. Among them, those of human resources (hr)which has seen how the incorporation of AI into its daily tasks and workflows has in many cases improved efficiency in recruiting talent and in managing staff and their needs.
The benefits of AI for professionals and companies in the sector are palpable in certain areas of human resources work, and those who have not yet incorporated AI into their operations are, for the most part, considering doing so. In fact, many HR managers believe that if they do not adopt it in one or two years, they will not be as successful as companies and organizations that have done so. For this reason, in addition to the benefits it brings, it is likely that AI will be incorporated into their workflows in the short or medium term.
What AI can bring to HR
The main purpose of AI in HR is to simplify and speed up processes related to both recruiting and subsequent, daily employee management. It can also be used for administrative tasks within the department or company, as well as to perform certain additional operations. It can also, at a general level, extract and offer valuable information to optimize decision-making.
However, although it is generally acknowledged that this technology has great potential to improve human resources operations, there is still no certainty about how to integrate it into many of the daily processes of its professionals in order to get the most out of it.
It should also be noted that many professionals, including HR professionals, believe that AI will eventually take their jobs, but as is already happening in many other sectors, what is more likely to happen is that their tasks will change due to the incorporation of AI. It is also likely that AI will support them in their daily work, allowing them to increase their performance and productivity, freeing up their time for tasks that require greater human intervention.
However, experts warn that the deployment of AI in companies in general, and in human resources in particular, cannot be applied in any way, but rather it is essential to do so only in areas where it will provide tangible and notable value.
To do this, the first thing is to understand the specific needs of the HR department or consultancy. That is why it is necessary to understand why, how and where the different AI solutions available can be applied. It is common that, once companies get the answer to these questions, they invest in software that integrates AI and machine learning. These are platforms designed to take advantage of AI. They can also use large language models and chatbots to increase the efficiency of certain processes. But it is important to investigate which ones are best suited to the company, and which ones its employees work best with.
Advantages of using AI in human resources
One of the main benefits of using AI in HR on a daily basis is the increase in the speed of work without requiring greater effort from workers. If certain daily tasks in this type of department are automated, especially the most repetitive and time-consuming ones, professionals will be able to focus on other more important tasks.
For example, instead of manually reviewing thousands of CVs to find candidates with specific skills for a job, AI tools can be used to automatically review the CVs once they have been digitized and select the most suitable ones. However, humans will have to oversee the process and review the profiles selected by the AI system.
Another advantage of using AI in HR is that these systems can perform tasks like the one mentioned above in a much shorter period of time than it would take one or more humans. This saves money for companies and departments dedicated to hiring and managing personnel. On the other hand, it also manages to reduce bias in the hiring processes, provided that a properly trained system is chosen, of course. These systems are developed and prepared to prioritize the skills and qualifications of candidates, which leads to a more inclusive process.
Of course, as we have mentioned, it is important to select systems that are trained to not take into account factors such as age, gender, address or any type of personal data that may influence the selection. However, there are studies that show that AI can show biases in selection processes, so it is necessary to ensure that AI systems have been trained with data that is not biased, something that is still a bit complex.
There is also no doubt that AI in HR improves the experience of employees in these departments. This can also lead to better retention of talent and lower staff turnover. In addition to appreciating not having to perform repetitive tasks, the possibility of making better use of the work offered by AI, as well as training in new skills, can be an extra attraction for them.
What HR departments use AI for
As we have seen, one of the main uses of AI in HR is candidate selection. Using a human resources platform that incorporates AI in certain tasks will facilitate the selection and identification of candidates for a position through automated searches in the company’s candidate databases. They can also schedule interviews with candidates and even create a series of relevant questions to find out their skills for the position.
But it can also be used for administrative tasks. For example, for data management, which in HR is usually a time-consuming task due to the high volume of information handled. Always, of course, in accordance with current legislation on its protection and processing, although this is not usually a problem because the AI systems indicated to carry out these tasks are usually up to date with regulations.
They can also be used to automatically send information related to the hiring process to candidates, and to plan and coordinate agendas for the entire department and candidates in the evaluation and hiring process.
In the field of employee management, it can be used to select the best training and skills development opportunities based on their position, performance and knowledge. In this sense, they can even develop a personalized program for each employee to update or adopt new skills.
These systems can also be responsible for keeping track of employee well-being, as they are able to detect information that may indicate that there are problems that are causing discomfort among employees, which allows resources to be dedicated to trying to solve them in order to improve the atmosphere and work environment.
Of course, AI in HR can also be used to measure results and details of each process. Integrating AI and automation into hiring and employee management processes can offer a wealth of information about performance and capabilities, among others.
It can also provide details to optimize processes and improve the results of all kinds of procedures. In addition, it also reduces human error, since it prevents employees from having to work with huge amounts of data and from failing in certain situations when analyzing and selecting information. But all these tasks must always comply with current legislation, especially regarding the protection of personal data and employee privacy. These are laws that are in many cases in their first steps, so it will be necessary to stay up to date with the changes and developments that are proposed in the future.