HR Leaders Speak on AI

HR Leaders Speak on AI – how they can use AI to transform how they attract, engage, develop, and retain talent.

HR leaders from across India share powerful insights on how AI is reshaping the future of work—from recruitment and retention to empathy and employee experience. This post captures their bold, inspiring, and human-centric perspectives.

RUCHI BHATIA

“Focus on Ethical use, upskilling and co-create”

Start small with pilot projects in recruitment or learning.

Ensure ethical AI use – avoid black-box tools, demand explainability and fairness.

Upskill your HR team in AI literacy and data fluency.

Co-create with employees – involve them in adoption to build trust and usability.

Ruchi Bhatia
Founder, HRGURUKUL

AMIT AVASTHI

“AI will enable HR leaders to focus on what matters most”

AI won’t replace HR—it will elevate it. The future of HR lies not in doing more, but in doing what matters most, with the help of intelligent systems that amplify human insight.
Amit Avasthi
CEO and Founder,
CoSolve Solutions

RAGHU PRASAD

“AI will enhance human capability”

Sustained engagement enhances human capability, which in turn improves retention in AI-driven environments, particularly in workplace learning and HR.
Raghu Prasad
HR Leader

ANURAG SHRIVASTAVA

“AI can enable great leadership”

I have always thought what is it that makes a great HR leader and the Holy Grail that solves the ultimate issue – the ability to continuous identify greatest contributors to the organisation, identify the most at risk among them and seamless devise solutions that targets them for retention while not just flagging off at risk employees but also come with a complete plan to address their compensation, career growth, feelings and personal fulfilment needs.

An AI tool that tracks all of the above using datasets from surveys , activities on social media, market conditions such as a competitor looking to hire key and rare talent, or some new perquisite in the market and gives solutions customised to an individual will probably something closest to that.
Anurag Shrivastava
CEO, HR Next

ACHYUT “AK” MENON

“The transformation is not technological. It is human”

We are living through the most disruptive decade in business history.
Technologies are not just enabling new ways of working. They are fundamentally rewriting the playbook. Growth is no longer linear. Companies will not scale with traditional models or rigid hierarchies. Instead, they will rely on hybrid teams where humans and AI agents collaborate, co-create, and continuously adapt.

In this new reality, AI is not just a tool. It is a teammate. And that changes everything for HR.

Which brings us to a critical truth:
“AI will transform HR, but the hardest part isn’t the tech. It’s rewiring mindsets, not just systems.”

Managers will no longer manage just people; they will also manage processes. They will lead systems. They will need to know how to assign work to an AI agent, train it on task flows, and evaluate its performance, much like they would with a new hire. That is a dramatic shift from the past.

Tenures, once a badge of loyalty, are losing relevance. What matters now is domain expertise, combined with the fluency to apply AI tools to real-world problems.

Yet, many organisations still approach AI as an IT upgrade.

They overlook the fact that today’s workforce spans multiple generations. Gen Z may be digital natives, but they still need AI literacy. Boomers and Gen X bring depth and perspective, but they must unlearn, relearn, and remain agile. HR’s call to action is clear: equip everyone, regardless of age or title, to master AI before AI masters them.

HR cannot afford to lag behind. It must lead to this shift. Because the real transformation is not technological. It is human.

Achyut “AK” Menon
Founder / CEO
Options Executive Search Pvt Ltd

TABREZ KHAN

“Increase readiness by training and upskilling”

The adaption of AI in HR is slow and mostly being used in the larger MNC organisations. Its penetration in MSME organisations is low mainly because of the high implementation cost and lack of readiness amongst HR leaders. While it is being used mainly for performing administrative and repetitive tasks like resume parsing and interview scheduling.

The real value of AI in HR will be realised when it can be used in making strategic decisions like organisation design or manpower planning. For this the HR professionals at large must be trained to feel comfortable and confident working with AI. Until then AI will remain underutilised in HR.

Tabrez Khan
Head HR & HRSS
MB Informatics

SHWETA ARORA

“AI will free HR leaders to do what we do best: listen, lead and create cultures where people thrive”

AI is not a replacement for human connection in HR—it’s a catalyst for deeper insight and smarter decision-making.

Take recruitment, for instance: AI can scan thousands of resumes in seconds, shortlist the best-fit candidates based on skills and potential and even reduce unconscious bias through structured screening algorithms.

In employee engagement, AI-powered sentiment analysis can monitor pulse surveys and internal communications to identify signs of burnout or disengagement long before they show up in performance reviews or attrition numbers.

Even in learning and development, AI can personalize training pathways for each employee, making upskilling more targeted and efficient.
The real power of AI lies in its ability to handle complexity at scale—freeing HR professionals to do what we do best: listen, lead, and create cultures where people thrive!
Shweta Arora
Director HR, Iris Software

DR. M. MUTHIAH

“Embracing AI in HR: More Than a Trend — A Defining Shift”

“Embracing AI in HR should not be seen as a trend; it is a transformative force. Early adopters unlock productivity and create meaningful employee experiences that drive lasting success.”
The workplace is evolving at an unprecedented pace. Among the forces reshaping how organizations attract, engage, and retain talent, artificial intelligence (AI) stands out as a pivotal enabler. Yet, many HR leaders continue to view AI as either a fleeting novelty or a distant future. This mindset restricts HR’s potential to deliver strategic value to both business outcomes and employee experience.
The truth is clear: AI is not merely a tool—it is a game changer. Forward-thinking HR leaders who acknowledge its potential and take decisive action are already seeing tangible results based on data-backed insights.
Beyond the Buzz: Why AI Matters in HR
AI’s promise extends well beyond task automation. While automating repetitive processes and transactional job, the true power of AI lies in its ability to:

Generate actionable insights
Personalize HR interactions
Inform strategic and data-driven decisions

The Advantage of Early Adoption
Organizations that have embraced AI in their HR ecosystems are reaping measurable rewards. These pioneers see AI not as a substitute, but as an augmentation of human capability. In a nutshell, AI empowers HR to focus on what truly matters: building an engaged, agile, and future-ready workforce.

Dr.M.Muthiah
Organisational and Leadership Development Expert.

DR. SAM MANOHAR

“AI is a catalyst for HR transformation”

There is greater realisation among HR professionals that AI is not just a tool, but a catalyst for HR transformation. However, most of us are puzzled as to where to start as automating routine tasks, providing data-driven insights, and enhancing employee experiences are all based on data that is hard to find and collate in most of the organisations that have been implementing HR practices through emails and excel sheets. The task starts from standardising processes, consistent implementation, introducing measurable, data collection and analysis. As HR leaders, it’s our responsibility to harness the power of AI to drive business growth, foster innovation, and build a more human-centric workplace.

Dr Sam Manohar
Seasoned HR Leader

AMOL GUPTA

AI will facilitate wide ranging and comprehensive transformation in HR

Most HR leaders agree that AI should complement human capabilities rather than replace them. I also see AI as a powerful tool that automates repetitive tasks, freeing HR professionals to focus on what truly matters for business : building relationships, nurturing talent, and driving organizational culture.

Strategic Decision-Making

AI provides people leaders with data-driven insights that were previously difficult to obtain. Predictive analytics help identify trends in employee engagement, turnover risks, contribution analysis , job evaluation , skill analysis and training needs. This enables leaders to make proactive decisions that benefit both employees and the organization.

Hypothetical Scenario: An HR leader notices a spike in employee attrition. AI tools analyze exit interviews and engagement surveys, revealing that lack of career development is a key issue. The HR team then launches targeted skills analysis , learning programs, improving retention with focus on learning & career growth for each employee.

Evolving HR Roles

As AI takes over administrative functions, HR roles are evolving. Leaders now emphasize the need for HR professionals to develop new skills—like data fluency, business understanding, tech-savviness, and strategic thinking—to stay relevant in an AI-driven landscape.

Real-Life Example: Companies are upskilling their HR teams to work alongside AI, ensuring that professionals can interpret AI-generated insights and turn them into actionable strategies.

Recruitment and Onboarding

AI streamlines recruitment by automating resume screening, scheduling interviews, and even conducting initial assessments. Onboarding becomes more personalized, with AI-driven platforms tailoring training to each new hire’s needs.

Contribution Analysis

Contribution analysis involves evaluating how each employee’s work impacts the organization’s goals and bottom line. It goes beyond traditional performance appraisals by connecting individual efforts to business outcomes by data driven metrics ,people analytics, real time feedback and predictive insights.

Employee Engagement and Well-Being

AI tools monitor employee sentiment and flag early signs of burnout or disengagement, enabling HR to intervene promptly. Personalized wellness recommendations and real-time support are becoming the norm, making workplaces more supportive3.

Learning and Development

AI identifies skill gaps and recommends tailored learning paths, helping employees grow and adapt to changing business needs. This fosters a culture of continuous improvement and internal mobility.

Looking Ahead

I am optimistic but cautious, recognizing the need for responsible AI adoption—balancing efficiency with fairness and transparency. The future of HR lies in a collaborative approach, where AI handles the heavy lifting and humans bring empathy, creativity, and strategic vision.

AI in HR is not about replacing people; it’s about empowering them. As I heard this line by someone, “AI lets us focus on what makes us human—connection, compassion, and creativity.”

Amol Gupta

Experienced CHRO and HR Influencer

NIVEDITA SHAH

“Anchor AI in empathy to elevate employee experience”

In a world of rising intelligence, it’s still the human touch that makes the real difference. We don’t compete with AI — we complete it, by anchoring it in empathy and elevating the employee experience.

Nivedita Shah
Director, Talent Management, Iris Software

BUNTY PARWANI

“Champion what is unique and irreplaceably human”

In the age of AI, HR’s greatest value lies not in competing with machines, but in championing what makes us irreplaceably human.

While AI handles data and processes, HR must be the one architect of empathy, the curator of culture, and the bridge between human potential and technological possibility.

The future belongs to the organizations where HR doesn’t just manage people – it nurtures the uniquely human skills that AI cannot replicate.

Bunty Parwani
Director, Learning & Development
Iris Software

LATIKA PANDEY

Collaborate with AI to redefine HR’s true potential

AI is not replacing HR—it’s redefining its potential.

As leaders, our role is to harness AI as a collaborator that takes over the repetitive, so we can focus on people, performance, and purpose.

It brings speed and data; we bring empathy and context. It’s not man versus machine, but human intelligence amplified by artificial intelligence.

Latika Pandey
Senior Director, TM Excellence
Iris Software

NEHA SINGH

“AI adds muscle to HR function combined with human wisdom”

AI adds a lot of muscle to the HR function. It’s an effort optimising machine, our personal research analyst and makes us super fast and powerful. But let’s not forget with great power comes great responsibility. Hence it’s important to understand its strengths and limitations.
Don’t think of AI as a shortcut, we still have to do the hard work… As HR our intuition, creativity, emotional intelligence and the capacity to make judgements, is something that makes us unique. Hence, human wisdom must continue to contextualise and guide all kinds of machine analysis and output… if we learn to do that .. it will be our ultimate sweet spot.

Neha Singh
Associate Director, Employee Experience
Iris Software

💬 What Do You Think? Join the Conversation!

We’ve heard powerful perspectives from forward-thinking HR leaders on how AI is transforming our field—but this is just the beginning.

Now it’s your turn.

💡 How is your organization approaching AI in HR?

🚀 What pilot projects, challenges, or breakthroughs have you seen?

🤖 What hopes or concerns do you have about AI’s impact on people, culture, and the future of work?

We’re inviting HR leaders, thinkers, and practitioners to contribute their voice.

Share your perspective by clicking here—your perspective could be featured in our next edition of HR Leaders Speak on AI.

👉 Let’s build this dialogue together. Because the future of HR isn’t just written by AI. It’s written by us.