Driving businesses forward in the modern world of work requires your talent to operate at their full potential. By leaning into the full portfolio of human skills within your workforce, you’ll unlock new levels of growth.
In this article we discuss:
The HR function is undergoing a seismic shift, and we’re all going to benefit. Case in point about one disruption: 95% of HR respondents agree that AI allows them to focus on higher-level responsibilities, according to our recent study, Elevating Human Potential: The AI Skills Revolution.
Emerging technologies are helping HR teams to accelerate workstreams, streamline insights, and increase impact. Rather than constantly feeling like you’re in a state of “catch-up”, AI can help workforces free up bandwidth and take on more strategic initiatives. For example, 86% of HR and talent acquisition respondents agree that AI will enhance human creativity and lead to new forms of economic value.
Everybody is talking about this in broad strokes, but the discussions are often short on specifics. We’re sharing our vision for the future of the HR function, with tangible examples and impact.
95% of HR respondents agree that AI allows them to focus on higher-level responsibilities.
We can dial in to the numbers and measure how much it costs for our organization to recruit, acquire, develop, and offboard employees. We can measure the effectiveness of certain hires based on their performance and impact to the company, and get credit for it. We can find areas to optimize to ensure we’re retaining and capturing business value, despite growing economic pressure.
Clearly, our lists of to do’s isn’t getting shorter–and now, technology advancements can help us check some of those off the list. For example, HR processes are already one of the top three uses of AI today. In fact, 39% of respondents recently said they are using AI for HR and recruiting processes.
But HR is a large function. It’s more than recruiting, it’s more than onboarding, and it’s more than development.
It’s inclusive of everything that has to do with your workforce—and that includes a digital workforce in 2025.
With the need to manage both people and a digital workforce, the human resources function is shifting to workforce resourcing. What does this mean in the broader landscape of work from a macro level, and how will it affect your job at a micro level?
HR is a large function. It’s inclusive of everything that has to do with your workforce—and that includes a digital workforce in 2025.
A tangible example of AI’s impact on your role and responsibilities is something ubiquitous in the HR world: workforce planning.
Workforce planning is the ideal environment for AI disruption, since it’s a core function that requires rigorous amounts of data and insights. AI can easily analyze future or existing trends and create recommended approaches based on those insights–something that historically takes up ample time and resources. How will AI impact this?
Another great area that’s ripe for disruption within the HR function is internal hiring. Because of AI’s ability to synthesize copious amounts of data quickly, tapping into existing talent within an organization has never been easier.
This was especially true for a consumer goods company that we recently worked with. By eliminating complexity within their internal hiring programs and increasing their focus on their existing talent’s set of skills, leaders could put more emphasis on internal mobility versus external hiring.
A simple initiative to increase visibility to internal employee profiles helped unlock company value that would have otherwise been lost in the sea of data. This exercise helped the company:
The hiring teams began to benefit from these new insights into the skills of their existing talent, and they tapped potential they would have otherwise missed. As a result, they saw large returns for their business:
Let’s double click into this “skills” example. When organizations hire an employee, they’re filling an open role. The skills specified for that role are the top priority—that’s the primary reason a team is interviewing candidates.
But the organization’s checklist of required skills only represents a fraction of that candidate’s skills and experience. Organizations could benefit by finding ways to extract value from the unrepresented areas, too.
One of the most powerful discoveries in our study is the connection between skills and business value. Candidates—and employees—have countless skills that a business could leverage to their advantage. Why leave those underutilized?
Here are some examples of the skills, and their associated business value, that HR can begin tapping into:
It’s no question that AI is changing the “how” behind work, but it’s not changing the “who.” AI is a tool employees can use to realize their full potential. Increasing capacities means more bandwidth, leading to employees that can use their full portfolio of skills. Rather than limiting the work that humans can accomplish, AI is expanding human potential and impact.
Candidates—and employees—have countless skills that a business could leverage to their advantage. Why leave those underutilized?
AI has a role to play in every team across all business functions. We’re now able to extract insights and augment work like never before. It can feel a bit overwhelming to envision what that looks like across such a diversified part of the business like HR.
Let’s break it down:
The journey to an AI-powered future for HR has begun. Enhancing performance at work starts with enhancing the human capabilities of your workforce.
By embracing AI strategically and responsibly, HR leaders can transform their function into a true strategic powerhouse, driving business success and extracting the full potential of their people.
For more insights on the convergence of AI in HR and how to extract more human value from your workforce in the age of AI, read our ebook.
As part of 2025's World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Workday Chief People Officer Ashley Goldsmith discusses new research on the ways AI is elevating uniquely human skills. Learn how AI can elevate your organization's workforce and discover actionable insights.
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