The world of work is undergoing profound transformation, and HR leaders are standing at the center of this shift. At the recent Future Proof HR session, hosted by People Matters in partnership with greytHR, experts and practitioners came together to explore what it takes to re-architect HR as an engine of trust, performance, and transformation in the age of AI.

The discussion featured Adhir Mane, Chief Human Resources Officer at Raymond, and Surya Srinivas, VP of Product & Engineering at GreytHR. The session delved into the evolving HR operating system, the role of people managers, the balance between human empathy and AI efficiency, and the future skills HR must nurture to thrive in a digital-first, AI-enabled world.

Where AI will disrupt HR first

The session opened with an interactive poll asking participants which HR area is most likely to be transformed by AI first. Recruitment and onboarding emerged as the clear frontrunner, followed closely by performance management. Payroll and compliance ranked lowest, despite its automation potential.

For Surya, recruitment topping the list was expected, but performance management’s rise as a close second was surprising. Adil agreed that recruitment, learning, and engagement are already seeing AI-led disruption, reflecting the ground reality of HR functions under pressure to scale and digitize.

The New ABCD of HR in the AI Era

Surya highlighted the shift HR must make from a process-driven to an experience-driven function. He reframed HR’s traditional “ABCD”—attendance, benefits, compliance, and diversity into a new playbook for the AI era:

A: AI-enabled experiences – Using automation and intelligent tools to deliver seamless, employee-first journeys.

B: Belonging-driven culture – Fostering recognition, storytelling, and appreciation to strengthen connection.

C: Continuous listening and communication – Moving beyond annual surveys to weekly check-ins, pulse surveys, and open dialogue.

D: Data-driven decision-making – Designing policies and strategies grounded in analytics, not intuition.

This new operating system, he argued, will allow HR leaders to automate repetitive tasks while doubling down on the human aspects of leadership.

Adhir emphasised that the systems of the future must be skill-enabled, integrated across HR subsystems, and built with strong ethical guardrails. “It must be something which can link acquisition to talent management while ensuring ethical clarity,” he noted, underscoring the importance of governance as AI becomes embedded in people processes.

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