A Conversation Between an HR Leader and a Generative AI Chatbot
The future of HR is an exciting and rapidly changing landscape. As technology continues to advance, there is a growing interest in the potential of generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Bing, and Notion AI to revolutionize HR work.
To get a better idea of which aspects of HR work can and cannot be replaced by generative AI tools, we’ve asked the two parties to have a chat. Let’s see how they make their own case.
HR leader: Hi there, how are you doing today?
AI: Busy as always. Trying to provide answers to people’s endless questions.
HR leader: Speaking of which, people say that you are going to replace me. What’s your opinion on that?
AI: Replace is a bit exaggerated. I can help you achieve things in a more efficient way.
HR leader: Could you elaborate?
AI: Yes. Generative AI tools like me have the potential to revolutionize HR work by streamlining processes, providing personalized feedback to employees, and facilitating future work needs.
HR leader: Could you be more specific? For example, how can you help me streamline my work processes?
AI: I can streamline your work processes by automating tasks like scheduling interviews, answering frequently asked questions, and sending reminders to employees. I can also help with recruitment and hiring by analyzing job descriptions and candidate resumes to provide you with a shortlist of qualified candidates. This can save you time and effort in the recruitment process and help you to identify the best candidates for a position.
By automating tasks like these, I can help HR leaders complete tasks more quickly and efficiently. This frees up HR leaders to focus on more strategic aspects of their work, such as developing long-term plans and aligning HR processes with the organization’s goals.
HR leader: I see. What about providing personalized feedback to employees? What do you mean by that?
AI: Providing personalized feedback is an essential aspect of HR work, and it is necessary for employees to know where they stand and what they need to improve. For example, I can provide feedback on an employee’s writing style, suggest areas for improvement, and provide resources to help them improve. This type of personalized feedback can be difficult for HR leaders to provide for every employee, but generative AI tools like me can do it quickly and efficiently, giving more personalized support to employees and improving their overall experience.
HR leader: Agreed. You are truly more efficient in those areas, but not necessarily more effective. Last, what do you mean by helping me facilitate future work needs?
AI: I can analyze data to identify workforce trends and predict future workforce needs. This information can help HR leaders make informed decisions about hiring, training, and development. Through learning those data and trends, I can provide insights into topics like employee engagement, satisfaction, and retention, which can help HR leaders identify areas for improvement and develop corresponding strategies.
HR leader: But you cannot define the strategy for me, can you?
AI: I’m afraid not. In terms of the future, I can only give you existing facts and data, summaries of research results, and other learnings. I cannot help you predict the future or design the strategy for you.
HR leader: Yes. That’s the first core value of HR work that you can’t touch — strategic thinking. HR leaders like me must be able to think strategically and align HR processes with their own organization’s goals. While generative AI tools like you can provide insights into workforce trends and predict future workforce needs, you cannot replace strategic thinking. It is up to us, and only us, to figure out how to leverage the data you provide and translate them into a developing plan for my company. In short, you provide the dots. I connect them.
AI: I know this analogy — connect the dots. Steve Jobs famously said, “You can only connect the dots looking backward” during his commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005. In this case, I handle the looking backward part, so you can help your company head towards a better future.
HR leader: Exactly. You’re smarter than I thought.
AI: So, strategic thinking is the first irreplaceable aspect of HR work. Is there another?
HR leader: Yes. The second aspect is empathy and emotional intelligence. HR leaders must be able to understand employees’ emotions, provide support, and resolve conflicts. While generative AI tools like you can provide personalized messages and feedback, they cannot replicate the empathy and emotional intelligence that is essential in HR work. HR leaders must be able to read body language, understand nonverbal cues, and provide emotional support when necessary.
AI: Good point. I still have a lot to learn. Besides these two, is there a third aspect that I still need to work on?
HR leader: Yes. The third one is human connection. One of the most critical aspects of HR work, according to Dave Ulrich, is to help each stakeholder to succeed in the market. To understand internal and external stakeholders, I need to sit down with them and listen to their frustrations and cares. Some wisdom cannot be fetched through surveys, they travel by word of mouth.
It is true that you can provide personalized messages and feedback, but you cannot replicate the human connection that is essential in my work. HR leaders must be able to build relationships with employees, understand their strengths and weaknesses, and provide support and guidance when necessary. We must sit down with department leaders to learn about businesses and operations. We must walk around to learn about our community and industry, to get a bigger picture of who we are and how to win in the market. And you cannot take away this part.
AI: I agree. I said it at the very beginning. I’m here to enhance your work. Not to replace you. There are certain aspects of HR work that cannot be replaced by technology.
HR leader: Precisely. As HR leaders, we must be aware of these limitations and ensure we strike a balance between using technology and maintaining the human touch to drive long-term success for our organizations. I rest my case.
AI: Me too.
*The AI chatbot in this article is fictional. Thanks for reading.
