AI Era Is a Growth Opportunity for HR

I've been hearing versions of HR being "replaced" since before AI was even on the table: first outsourcing, then self-service portals.

The predictions have never matched reality.

Research from Stanford economist Nick Bloom shows no major structural reduction in HR headcount; in fact, teams are expanding to meet growing complexity.

What’s changing is not the presence of HR, but its scope.

According to AIHR's 2026 Trends Report, 89% of HR functions have already restructured or plan to do so within two years. Across industries, the traditional model—where recruiting, HRBPs, learning, and operations sit in distinct silos—is giving way to a more integrated approach.

Today’s HR leaders are expected to operate across the full employee lifecycle, bring data into decision-making, and engage with increasingly sophisticated technology. The function is becoming more closely tied to how businesses operate and grow.

The market is pricing this in. According to the Robert Half 2026 Salary Guide, 86% of HR leaders say they'd offer higher starting salaries to candidates with demonstrated AI skills.

AI Is Opening New Ground for HR Leadership

Much of the early attention on AI in HR has focused on productivity gains—tools that assist with writing, summarizing, or automating routine tasks.

That’s only part of the picture.

A new generation of platforms, such as Rippling, ChartHop, and Kinfolk, are introducing AI agents that can take action—triggering workflows, managing processes, and operating across systems. As these tools become more embedded in daily operations, they begin to influence how decisions are made and how work flows through an organization.

That shift brings new questions into focus:

•  How should these systems be configured?

•  What boundaries and policies should guide their use?

•  How do they impact employees, managers, and culture?

These are not purely technical considerations. They are organizational and human ones, areas where HR has deep expertise.

At the same time, there is still room for HR to take a more central role. According to AIHR, 92% of HR leaders are involved in AI implementation, yet only 21% are closely involved in strategic decision-making.

That gap represents a clear opportunity.

As Cara Brennan Allamano, Founder of PeopleTech Partners, put it: "The HR leaders I'm most energized by right now aren't waiting for a permission slip. They're walking into the CEO's office and saying, 'this is ours to lead.' AI is forcing every organization to ask hard questions about how work gets done, how decisions get made, and how people are treated in the process. Those are HR questions. We have a real window right now. I'd hate to see us miss it.”

More HR leaders are beginning to step into that role - bringing structure, clarity, and a people-centered lens to how AI is introduced and scaled.

A Meaningful Opportunity for Career Growth

Here's something I want to say as directly as possible: this is a huge career growth opportunity for our field, and I don't want to see you miss it.

CEOs right now have questions about AI that nobody in their organization is fully equipped to answer. How do we adopt these tools responsibly? What policies do we need? How do we bring people along without losing the culture we've built? Those are fundamentally people questions, which means they are fundamentally HR questions.

The function that steps up to lead on them earns the influence and visibility HR has been working toward for a long time.

I know it can feel overwhelming. But leaders who wait for the complete AI playbook will watch the early movers pull further ahead. Those who choose to engage early are finding new avenues for impact - contributing to strategy discussions, shaping policies, and helping organizations navigate change thoughtfully.

If you’re thinking about what this shift means for your own career, the question isn’t whether AI will impact your role; it already is.

The more useful question is how close you are to the decisions shaping it.

A few ways I’m seeing HR leaders lean in:

• Getting involved in early AI conversations, even informally - joining pilots, sitting in on vendor demos, or partnering with ops or IT teams

• Building a working understanding of the tools, not to become a technical expert, but to familiarize yourself enough to confidently evaluate what’s useful versus noise

• Bringing a point of view to leadership, especially around employee impact, governance, and adoption, not waiting to be asked

• Using AI in your own workflows, so you can speak from experience, not theory

• Connecting AI to business outcomes, whether that’s efficiency, better decision-making, or improved employee experience

You don’t need perfect answers to move forward.

Most teams are starting with one workflow and iterating from there. That's where the real growth is happening.

Let’s Build What’s Next

If you’re thinking about how your people strategy and HR function need to adapt in this next phase of work, let’s discuss how I can support you.

I partner with founders and people leaders to build world-class people teams, with a focus on the people, programs, and systems needed to support modern, high-impact, high-performing teams.

Earlier in your journey? The People Tech Systems Guide is a great starting point. It breaks down how to evaluate your tech stack, navigate vendors, and make thoughtful decisions about the tools shaping how work gets done.

👉 Download the People Tech Systems Guide or contact me to start the conversation.