Survival of the Human in Human Resources
The integration of nascent technologies into HR seemed all but impossible until artificial intelligence (AI) set out for widespread acceptance. Should we fear AI “breaking the wheel” of traditional talent acquisition practices?
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning. These three terms make about as much sense as the third and fourth sequels to Home Alone. But it’s this ‘shallow pool comfort’ that gives recruiting the impression of being resistant to change.
Owen Mahoney of Nexon, agrees that the CHRO is one of the most strategic roles someone could have: “Businesses grow or die based on the quality of their people, so the human resource executive role is arguably the most strategic in the company;” the caveat being you cannot remove the ‘human’ from human resources.
The digital transformation of HR is often misunderstood. AI’s personalization capabilities cure the automation side effects. This transformation is more than automation, and certainly more than savings on a P&L statement. Look at your Netflix homepage and compare it to a friend’s, AI-fuelled algorithms make things personal, they add an almost humanlike touch of curation and care.
AI in HR is no dystopia. It can be strategic and effective. It is also widely believed to limit human contact. The stay-at-home orders made the decision for many of us; the AI advantages column is winning!
AI is accelerating innovation; it’s work goes uninterrupted during a global pandemic. AI is enabling predictive workforce planning and HR leaders are using AI to make sense of data in context and forging new paths ahead. It is however, best practice to not rely exclusively on AI as we embrace this new data-driven culture. Human intelligence is quite the opposite to a composite of large chunks of data. Humans are needed for transparency.
In WB&B’s debut blog we focused on the investment one can make in developing their EQ. AI does not replicate EQ, it has difficulty interacting, understanding, and motivating human beings. In HR, humans are still best suited to identify both internal and external candidates. Only a human can unify a leadership team when remote work becomes isolating. Even with the increased implementation of telemedicine during COVID-19, I still place unparalleled trust in my doctor’s good bedside manner.
According to HBR, skills like persuasion, social understanding, and empathy are going to become workplace differentiators as AI continues to replace more routine tasks.
Underpinning our strategy at WB&B is ‘The Invitational,’ a private client socialization event with a talent pipeline development overlay. WB&B in a partnership with IBM recently hosted a Cloud and Cognitive Software Invitational. IBM is a world leader in cloud computing and AI. One of their solutions is Watson Recruitment. As pioneers in D&I at WB&B we were most excited to learn that this AI function would be used to surface the most qualified candidates without systemic unconscious bias. AI systems are being used to create inclusive job descriptions and review them for gender-coded language. AI could become one of D&I’s strongest allies.
Currently, CHROs are busy and collectively clairvoyant, as they write the ‘future workforce’ bible. Something a robot author might not be so adept at, judging by the very strange yet, very real, first AI written novel.
(Image credits: Make It Rain)