Will HR positions survive the rise of AI?
I often see the media sharing articles about layoffs due to AI, how junior programmer positions are less in demand, how there is also a decreased interest in copywriters and graphic designers, etc.
About 2 weeks ago, Teammates launched a tool (AI HR-ist), and right now I came across a post from a local marketer who shared interesting data about Ask AI (an internal AI/chatbot system), which today handles almost 94% of all routine HR requests, such as:
vacation requests
onboarding new employees
payroll information and attendance records
benefit selection and answers to basic employment questions
Results of AI implementation at IBM
94% of the HR agenda is automated
Payroll, vacation, administration – even terminations have been automated
$3.5 billion saved
40% drop in HR costs
IBM also claims that employees are happier. The HR department’s internal NPS score increased from -35 to +74 after the implementation of AskHR (source: HR Asia). 6% of questions are still directed at people – AI has not yet completely replaced complex or emotionally sensitive situations.
How do you see it with HR positions (+ white collar positions) in big corporations after acquiring AI?
Maybe the specific question is for your region. :-)
Replies
This conversation reminds me of early DevOps debates. Automation didn’t kill engineers, but it did redefine what good engineering looked like. Same with HR. The role isn’t disappearing, instead we can think of it as being re-scoped.; and the ones who lean into complexity, inclusion, and long-term thinking will come out ahead. Anyhoo, that’s been our mindset at Equally AI - build with intention, not just automation.
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@a11yexpert So what will be HR like in the horizon of 10 years? any guesses?
@busmark_w_nika I don’t think HR disappears, but I do think it splits. Based on what we see working with global companies, admin tasks move under operations, and HR becomes more like an internal strategy team
Sprinto
If any role will vanish the fastest - it will be the traditional HR role.
However what we'll see though, is specific committees getting formed / departmental merger happening:
Merger Examples for HR Roles:
Payroll, Performance Management & Directory-> will get transferred / merged into FinOps, with automation vendors: examples
tax (eg: Clear Tax),
payroll (eg: greyHR)
reimbursements (eg: Razorpay)
insurance (eg: Plum)
corporate cards (eg: Ramp)
performance management (eg: People Box)
attendance, employee logistics & directory (eg: Keka)
offer letter rollout (Panda Docs)
POSH, Employee Rights, Contracts, DD & BG verification -> will be merged into Legal, GRC (Governance Risk & Compliance) & Independent Committees
What will be interesting to observe is which industry size adopts these faster -> SMB Vs MM Vs Enterprise
@busmark_w_nika
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@cheerst So you mean that more departments will be merged into one? Interesting thought.
I would say that reimbursement (CRM) still needs people behind that because I know how sensitive people are about their money, and when AI will not do something properly, it can damage their reputation.
Sprinto
@busmark_w_nika yep I agree - reimbursement (CRM) still needs people behind : But the thing is it will not come come under HR Department - it will be under FinOps of Finance.
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@cheerst Yep, the different department.
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@cristian_stoian_urzica Maybe. :D but I think that AI could manage these things – replies, constructive feedback etc :D
@shatoolshub AI is clearly transforming HR by automating routine tasks and saving costs — IBM’s numbers prove that. But HR isn’t just admin; it’s also empathy, culture, and people strategy. AI will reduce HR headcount, not replace the human heart of it. The role will evolve, not vanish.
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@shatoolshub I think the same. Curious what other departments/roles are supposed to be "evolved" :)
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@vshpandey96 It will be cost-shrinking (maybe) – if the Klarna scenario doesn't repeat. 😅
SEO Stuff
Yeah it’s definitely transforming. AI is amazing for handling repetitive tasks at scale, and tools like AskHR make things faster and more consistent. But when it comes to navigating sensitive issues, resolving conflicts, or building culture, humans still matter a lot. AI helps humans handle....
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@haiqa_irfan Our emotional side becomes our strength :)
Lyssna
Really interesting topic and this is the beginning of many of us to start to find our value in the new ecosystem and be valuable for companies and machines. HR will be impacted and they will shrink a lot the size, like any other industry in the coming months and they will use a lot of AI too to make sure bring the right candidates.
Let's see what is going to happen in the coming months.
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@rubenlozanome I think that this will be matter of 1year +.
So I used to head HR divisions for large outfits before I moved to tech, and I feel HR was hit more by the current zeitgiest than AI.
I had automations and Slackbots galore. There were full blown data scientists in HR, who created their own python automations, had jupyter notebooks pulling from live databases, and you get the idea.
I'd say from past experience that finance (FINRA for example) has even stricter rules to follow than HR, rules that are not as open to interpretation. Is AI taking over Finance at the same pace as HR? Not even close. The corporate environment responsible for the existence of HR has changed, and thats the real reason IMO, especially in the US.
Labor law enforce is at a low. Diversity programs are seen as wasteful. There is a cauldron of negativity towards recruiting, and with Gen Z's joblessness rates, this isn't changing soon. The cult of professionalism (see r/linkedinlunatics) is ridiculed, and Meta has basically shattered the social contract by offering mountains of money for talent.
AI is the excuse to blame HR for what are artifacts of corporate culture. Nobody (that I worked with anyway) had the natural inclination to "maximize human capital per dollar", or "classify roles as COGS such that we can maximize tax deductions", nor to "minimize risk to the business". HR is representative of company needs. As AI changes ALL aspects of businesses, I expect HR will instead morph into a technical hybridization of it's current self.
People say HR is the face of a business, but I think it's more like an outfit. It'll get changed as much as the business needs it too so that they can fit into the party, and in todays world it's certainly a tight fit.
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@csurita So what is your verdict with AI vs HR?
@busmark_w_nika Coming in late after a break but honestly, I think in the direction the industry is going, AI is unfortunately going to take over a majority of HR roles. It's too good at just following instructions, feels no guilt for things like layoffs, and would arguably be less open to things like lawsuits in certain places as proving bias against an algorithm will be quite a tall task.
HR professionals that can adapt will thrive as they realize they can apply their learned skills to them (e.g. a People Analytics role -> Business Analytics role, or an HR leader -> Business leader).
The ones who cling to the old ways will be the ones who unfortunately will feel the heat, and soon.
This is a really timely and important discussion. The IBM example is a powerful case study in how AI can drastically reshape HR functions — not just in terms of efficiency and cost savings, but also in improving internal satisfaction scores, which often get overlooked.
From what we're seeing at Cyfuture AI, a lot of enterprises — especially large corporations — are following a similar trajectory. They're not necessarily trying to eliminate HR roles entirely, but they're automating routine, repetitive, and high-volume tasks. Vacation requests, payroll queries, onboarding checklists — these are perfect candidates for AI-driven systems like AskHR or our own enterprise clients’ custom setups built using Cyfuture AI’s RAG-based platforms.
The bigger trend we're noticing is a shift in what HR professionals actually do. Rather than being bogged down by administrative work, the role is evolving to focus more on employee experience, culture development, DEI initiatives, and talent strategy — areas where human nuance is still vital. So in a way, AI is not just replacing tasks, it’s redefining job descriptions.
Of course, junior positions — whether in HR, copywriting, or programming — are feeling pressure. It's a tough reality that automation is accelerating. But it's also a signal for the workforce to upskill into roles that require more abstract thinking, cross-functional understanding, and human-centered design.
Curious to hear how others in different regions are seeing this play out. Are local organizations adopting AI this aggressively, or is it still more of a “watch and wait” situation?
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@hemant_pal1 Is this answer AI generated? :D
AI is definitely changing HR, but I don’t think it’s replacing it — it’s redefining it. Tasks like screening or scheduling can be automated, sure, but culture, conflict resolution, and people strategy still need a human touch.
The HR roles that survive (and thrive) will be the ones that shift from admin-heavy to people-first. In a way, AI is forcing HR to become more human, not less.
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@luiisvaronaa That's a matter of time and we will se the result in the next couple of years (and maybe months) :)