How to use AI in HR: insights from practitioners

Nearly eight in ten business leaders agree that adopting AI is critical to staying competitive in today’s market — yet only 60% have a vision for how to use it.* This gap between AI’s potential and practical application often separates average HR teams from top-performing ones.

Understanding how other HR leaders use AI can help your team leverage this technology more effectively. According to Leapsome’s research**, People professionals are prioritizing AI for:

• Performance analysis
• Turnover prediction
• Personalized learning
• Survey analysis

That’s valuable information. Still, your HR team may need some guidance to implement their own successful AI initiatives. In this article, we’ve gathered advice from top-performing HR leaders on how they’re using AI. You’ll learn how they’ve implemented new tools, navigated shifting responsibilities, and prepared for what’s next.

🦘 Leap toward a powerful, people-first AI strategy

Leapsome’s AI solutions streamline critical HR processes — from performance management to engagement analytics and action plans.

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*Microsoft, 2024

**Leapsome’s Workforce Trends Report, 2024
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1. Map out your HR processes to determine where AI could make the greatest impact

Ask yourself: What are the biggest hurdles in your HR operations? Which KPIs are consistently missed?

Answers to simple questions about HR performance will provide a roadmap of your organization’s AI needs, according to Jenny Podewils, Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Leapsome. For example, if you routinely miss benchmarks in a specific area, that task might benefit from AI. Or, if onboarding is always slow and new hires keep asking the same questions, consider implementing AI technologies to improve this process.

Podewils stresses the importance of this exact order of operations: identify a use case, then implement AI. Otherwise, AI implementation may result in inefficient workflows and employee confusion.

💬 “It’s time to stop thinking of AI as a buzzword; focus on what key business challenges and priorities in a specific organization are.

Then, dive into how AI tools can best help solve them via automation and augmentation.”

— Jenny Podewils, Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Leapsome

Routine, time-consuming tasks are often strong candidates for AI automation. However, before adopting AI, Podewils suggests that HR leaders weigh the potential impact of automation with the difficulty of its implementation. Consider what success looks like: Will introducing AI reduce manual work and improve specific outcomes? Establishing clear metrics — like fewer human-led admin tasks or faster onboarding times — will help measure your investment’s return.

💡 “Identify where AI can make the most impact by mapping out your HR processes by effort, impact, and the amount of manual work — both for the HR team and the wider organization, including managers.

Then, measure success with clear metrics, such as reduced manual touchpoints, and drive adoption from leadership down.”

— Jenny Podewils, Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Leapsome

2. Use AI to accelerate skill development and high-value work

AI allows HR teams to shift from routine task management to more strategic initiatives. This change empowers individual employees to build deeper expertise and focus on impactful projects, according to Marie Richter, Fractional Chief People Officer and HR Consultant.

💪 “AI and automation aren’t replacing HR — they’re empowering it.

By embracing these technologies to handle routine tasks, HR professionals can focus on what truly matters: strategy, employee experience, and driving organizational change.

The ROI isn’t just financial; it’s reflected in increased employee potential.”

— Marie Richter, Fractional Chief People Officer and HR Consultant

Beyond the repetitiveness of certain work, HR Consultant Flor Farsadi suggests People leaders consider three factors when deciding what to automate:

• Impact on employee experience — AI-powered accuracy and personalization can benefit processes that impact team members’ satisfaction or engagement, such as performance reviews or learning and development initiatives (L&D).
  
  
• Data volume — AI systems can process data faster than any human. So, tasks that require vast data set analysis may be good candidates for AI technology (as always, with human guidance and oversight).
  
  
• Ethical considerations — Humans remain the #1 asset to any HR department. Organizations must continuously monitor AI to support fairness and transparency, particularly when working on sensitive processes (like resume screening and performance management). People perform better than AI at many tasks, especially those requiring empathy; as such, humans should still guide all tough conversations.

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👏 “Ensure the processes you automate don’t compromise fairness, privacy, or transparency.

For example, using AI for recruitment needs to be continuously monitored and audited from the company and candidate sides to identify tool biases.”

— Flor Farsadi, HR Consultant

3. Develop & provide AI training for individual contributors 

Despite AI’s benefits, an adoption gap persists between HR leaders and individual contributors. Data from our 2024 Workforce Trends Report suggests that more than 80% of HR leaders and People managers frequently use AI, compared to just 42% of individual contributors. However, employees are eager to see what they’re missing: 41% report that AI is the #1 skill they want to learn.

Polina Skliar, Global HR Strategies and Systems Manager at Playtech, emphasizes that AI adoption must align with — and improve — existing workflows.

🤩 “HR technology should enhance efficiency and deliver tangible value to the organization and its people — otherwise, employees won’t use it.

Our primary goal is to educate our people on how HR tech can streamline their work and improve their overall experience.

‍— Polina Skliar, Global HR Strategies and Systems Manager at Playtech

Kajetan Armansperg, Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Leapsome, advises HR leaders to be transparent about how AI will change roles. 46% of individual contributors fear that AI will eventually replace most of their current responsibilities; addressing these concerns upfront—and providing training so employees can upskill—fosters trust and encourages broader adoption.

💥 “Job security concerns are creating resistance to AI adoption, with many employees hesitant to embrace technologies they believe could make their roles redundant.

To address this, businesses must actively show how AI complements, rather than replaces, human work.

Clear communication about AI’s impact on roles and providing reskilling opportunities will help ease concerns and encourage broader adoption across the workforce.” 

— Kajetan Armansperg, Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Leapsome

Consider using a comprehensive HR platform like Leapsome to assess skill gaps, create employee training plans, and track progress.

With Leapsome’s Learning module, you can select from a curated library of courses or build custom content that reflects your specific AI use cases and organizational needs. This personalized approach helps employees develop the right competencies, ensuring they feel confident and supported as they adapt to new AI-driven workflows.

4. Investigate your tech stack’s AI capabilities & roadmap before investing

When adding tools to your HR tech stack, look beyond hype. As Jenny Podewils notes, not all AI capabilities are created equal. Conduct pilot programs, gather feedback, and consult case studies before investing significantly.

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🧐 “It’s crucial to differentiate actual AI capabilities from hype or vaporware.

Pilots and reference calls can help cut through the noise — but today, no tool should be bought without a clear understanding of its AI potential and roadmap.”

— Jenny Podewils, Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Leapsome

In the name of cost-saving, HR teams are increasingly expected to operate more efficiently but with fewer tools (AKA, “do more with less” — sound familiar?). Our 2024 Workforce Trends Report found that 85% of HR leaders are facing pressure to consolidate their tech stacks. With this in mind, leaders should assess the importance of meaningful and future-proof software investments.

Artificial intelligence is perhaps the most critical consideration in this realm. According to Monica Sarkar, Co-Founder at Purple Umbrella, AI technologies can expedite administrative tasks indefinitely while empowering more data-driven decision-making. These features will prove essential to the HR function for years to come.

She explains: “The past year has demonstrated the rapid advancement of HR technology, with many of my preferred people enablement platforms introducing AI-powered features. These innovations significantly reduce the time spent developing resources or analyzing data, allowing for more data-informed actions.”

Embrace future-proof, AI-driven HR solutions with Leapsome

The right AI tools let you automate repetitive tasks so you can focus on strategic, high-impact work. But choosing wisely is critical: pilot potential solutions, collect user feedback, and ensure a vendor’s long-term vision aligns with your goals.

Leapsome’s AI-driven platform supports everything from performance management to engagement analytics, turning data into actionable insights. Our solutions prioritize the human element, giving managers the tools to guide, develop, and inspire their teams.

At its best, AI doesn’t replace HR professionals; it empowers them. By freeing up time and energy, Leapsome’s AI capabilities help your team stay agile, proactive, and ready for whatever’s next — all while keeping your People front and center.

🔥 More than just hype

Leapsome’s people enablement tools and HRIS blend the power of AI with a human-centered approach.

👉 Book a demo

FAQs about using AI in HR

How can I use generative AI in HR?

Many HR practitioners rely on generative AI tools like ChatGPT to streamline tasks and enhance productivity. Thanks to natural language processing (NLP), generative AI chatbots can develop human-like, rapid-fire responses to queries, making them useful for brainstorming and specific data-mining tasks. HR use cases include:

• Employee onboarding — HR can simplify onboarding by creating personalized welcome messages, compiling FAQs, and enabling new hires with learning paths. This helps employees have a smooth start and a better employee experience from the get-go.
  
  
• Learning and development (L&D) — Companies can develop customized learning paths and training materials tailored to different roles and career stages. This enables HR teams to align employee development with organizational goals more efficiently.
  
  
• Performance management — Automate parts of performance reviews by generating feedback summaries and suggesting personalized action plans. This can save HR and managers significant time and help maintain consistent review processes across teams.
  
  
• Workforce planning — Leverage AI to analyze industry trends and internal data, helping HR forecast hiring needs and identify potential talent gaps. This supports strategic workforce decisions and resource allocation.
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How can I improve the success of my AI initiatives?

AI success depends on several factors, including the quality of your employee data. So, it’s best to get your records in order before feeding this information to AI systems. You can accomplish this by regularly reviewing your HR data or adopting a comprehensive HRIS that automates the data consolidation and auditing processes for you.