New research from Brightmine (formerly XpertHR) reveals a worrying lack of understanding among HR professionals when it comes to AI, with just one in three (32%) department employees said to have grasped its full potential.
The study suggests inadequate education is to blame for these low levels of awareness, after it was found that a staggering 80% of organisations have so far neglected to provide any employees with AI training.
Scott Walker, CEO at Brightmine, said: �The lack of awareness among HR employees is alarming but understandable. Generative AI has had a meteoric rise and there are huge amounts of noise surrounding it, but there is still a lot of demystification needed not just among HR professionals but across senior leadership teams. Take AI which has the capacity to augment decisions and enhance efficiency within the HR department, there is a real danger if the knowledge isn�t there, HR will not be able to make full use of the benefits of this technology.�
Despite a perceived lack of understanding, HR employees still recognise where AI could add value to their department, with administrative or repetitive tasks (74%), and data and analytics (59%) pegged as the areas where AI will be most useful. Approximately one-fifth (20%) of HR�s time is spent on administrative tasks, and a further 5% is spent on collecting or analysis of HR data, meaning there is an opportunity for AI to significantly reduce the time spent in these areas.
However, in order to realise this, the technology needs to be implemented successfully, with HR taking a leading role. But currently HR are not even getting a chance to fulfil this role, with only around a third (35%) of HR departments being directly involved in discussions with senior leadership about adoption of AI technologies. Nearly a quarter (24%) reported that these discussions have not involved�HR at all.
Scott Walker continues: �Not only is technology changing the way organisations operate, but technology is also impacting every phase of the employment lifecycle, generating demands for new skills and impacting the way people work.
�As agents of change, HR leaders should be actively shaping and driving the transformation agenda. It is vital that HR teams develop capabilities in digital fluency and data literacy to take advantage of technology to increase efficiency and unlock business value to help their organisations stay relevant and profitable.�
AI Assist is an AI-powered chat solution that leverages Generative AI to provide HR professionals with instant access to Brightmine trusted, expert-curated content to provide quick and accurate answers to their most challenging HR questions. Part of RELX, a global data and analytics leader, Brightmine has harnessed AI for nearly a decade across its full product portfolio.
Other survey insights:
- Barriers to adoption: The most common barrier reported was a lack of understanding about AI, reported by close to three-quarters (70%) of organisations. Other barriers included skills shortages (50%), lack of investment (44%), and ethical or data protection concerns (43%).
- AI goals: The top three AI goals for HR departments are to improve the employee experience (23%), save employee time (18%), and reduce workload (18%)
- Concerns with AI: Around one-third of HR employees (30%) are concerned about the impact of AI on job security and headcount levels
- Utilisation of AI: 30% of respondents stated that their organisation has not had conversations around AI, or do not plan to implement any AI solutions
