For years, automation in HR simply meant speeding up routine tasks like processing payroll or reviewing vacation requests. Now, automation is converging with AI, and it’s radically reshaping how HR teams operate, make decisions, and deliver value.

Whether it’s using AI agents (digital assistants that act within workflows) to automatically handle HR tasks and assist in decision-making, or tapping into agentic AI more generally, where systems can adapt, reason, and act independently in increasingly complex contexts, a major shift is already underway.

According to Gartner, 26% of HR leaders say they’re already operating with an AI-first model and it’s predicted that 60% of HR tasks will be completed through an intelligent agent interface by 2030.

So where is AI making the biggest difference in HR right now? And what does this new AI-focussed approach mean for HR leaders thinking about the future?

HR has entered the (strategic) chat

One of the most meaningful shifts AI is driving in HR is the move from administration to strategy. HR has long been seen as a back-office function: essential but not central to business decisions. Not anymore.

Instead of just processing data, HR leaders can now use AI and automation to gather real-time insights on everything from employee engagement to staff flight risk. These tools help interpret data at scale, uncovering patterns that would take weeks to spot manually.

They can even model the likely impact of key decisions before they’re made, and help guide learning investments.

With these kinds of deep-level insights at hand, HR leaders are able to step forward and influence company-wide strategy, in many cases for the first time.

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