AI as an enabler for HR, not a substitute

As organisations keep their eyes peeled on developments in AI’s impact on entry-level roles, one expert has emphasised that HR leaders must become strategic partners in their organisations.

Speaking at a New York-based conference on 10 February, and on the back of its plans to triple entry-level hiring in the US in 2026, IBM’s chief human resources officer, Nickle LaMoreaux, said that jobs must be redesigned to add value where AI cannot.

“The companies three to five years from now that are going to be the most successful are those companies that doubled down on entry-level hiring in this environment,” LaMoreaux said.

Retaining human nuance

HR Leader spoke with Mauve Group global people and culture director Chris Williams (pictured), who stressed that HR teams and professionals must encourage their businesses to use AI to increase efficiency while retaining the nuance that workers bring.

In order to have the influence to make these calls, Williams stressed that HR leaders must become strategic partners in the business, working closely with their chief financial officer to invest in entry-level roles to ensure pipelines do not disappear. Williams noted AI must be used within jobs rather than to cut jobs.

To become strategic partners, Williams said HR leaders must become data-driven. He stressed that HR leaders must use data on metrics such as outputs and turnover to convince chief financial officers to invest in entry-level candidates as opposed to primarily focusing on short-term profits.

Developing the psychological contract

In addition, Williams emphasised the importance of retaining the human nuance of human-run interviews. Despite the benefits of using AI to streamline the CV review process, he said it is in interviews that the psychological contract is developed, fostering loyalty and retention.

As previously reported on by HR Leader, Dr Matt Beard, ethicist and program director of the Vincent Fairfax Fellowship at the Cranlana Centre, emphasised that HR leaders must take time to reflect on the ethical gap between the opportunity to act and the action itself, emphasising the importance of clear policies around how AI is used.