Technology advances that will influence HR by 2030: Applied AI and Machine Learning

Written by Dieter Veldsman, Annelise Pretorius

In the past, HR has been criticised for slow adoption of new solutions, reactive approach, and lagging value creation the business seeks.

Our recent report for the Academy to Innovate HR (AIHR) highlighted the importance of digital HR for the success of the human resource function. As new technologies emerge, we will again be challenged by the business to adapt, adopt and evolve if we are to remain a relevant and value-adding strategic partner. If not, we risk being relegated back to the “support” function of old, and the advances made in the strategic HR positioning since the early 2000s and the ground gained during the pandemic become irrelevant.

However, there is an opportunity for HR to grasp the window of opportunity, and there are four technological advances that HR can utilise to its benefit over the coming years leading up to 2030.

In this article, we explore how Applied AI and Machine Learning will influence HR by 2030, and provide practical recommendations and tangible actions that serve as a plan of action for HR practitioners.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence will become more human-like and integrated into our daily lives, both in our personal lives and at work. We already see the first indications of this in voice technologies, facial recognition, and voice assistants. Applied AI will become mainstream, and engaging with AI will become a natural phenomenon.

We can expect more and more AI-enabled activities to become part of our work in HR.

For example the learning domain:

AI will be the primary driver of learning recommendations based on collected personal data and underlying competency models that draw on realtime assessment data.

• Compensation and rewards:

AI will allow for personalised reward recommendations, leading toward a new approach to designing incentives, pay structures, and bonuses.

• Talent acquisition:

HR will use AI to suggest candidates in existing employee networks for current and future opportunities while optimising and personalising our approach based on individual talent preferences to improve the experience and create a higher likelihood of talent joining the organisation.

• Turnover and retention:

HR will use AI to predict turnover and retention risk based on data-driven indicators that provide realtime insight. These insights will be used to proactively mitigate the turnover intention of top talent and improve the availability of current skills.

DEIB:

AI will contribute to DEIB initiatives, whereas in the past, it has been cited mainly as detracting from DEIB efforts. AI can help HR to write more inclusively, highlight potential bias and translate key messages into numerous languages while also identifying opportunities to communicate in ways aligned with organisational values and culture.

Applied AI in HR

A financial services business created an AI-driven Chatbot called Nemo that acts as the first point of contact for employee queries, guides managing content queries on HR practices, and helps employees navigate policies.

Textio is an augmented writing platform that helps companies boost job applications by writing highly targeted job posts and detecting social biases throughout the candidate journey to promote inclusive talent attraction.

How should HR prepare?

HR teams must start integrating AI solutions into current HR processes. Start using trusted and reputable AI solutions within high-volume methods, such as graduate recruitment or CV screening.

You can also use pre-designed chatbots to remove repetitive HR work. Start incorporating these technologies into your HR delivery model.

Introducing AI tools and solutions in delivering HR services requires collaboration with an IT team to ensure that programs are appropriately trained based on company policies and procedures.

While major advances have already been made in terms of the quality and accuracy of content produced utilising ChatGTP and other generative AI tools, they are still subject to inaccuracies and biases. This has become especially evident in cases where companies have used AI in their hiring processes. Therefore, it is essential that the right governance and review systems are put in place to ensure that these tools are used ethically and in line with the ever-developing regulatory landscape.