With more employers implementing AI technology throughout the workforce, employees have begun investing their own time into learning how to use the tool optimally and increase productivity. Human resources (HR) and learning and development (L&D) leaders have become popular and effective industries for AI deployment.

In fact, a recent ServiceNow survey on how AI empowers the employee journey found that 54% of workers trust AI to handle HR tasks over a human representative. There are two notable takeaways from this finding — employees favor the use of AI and have less trust in learning leaders. This is a huge shift in thinking for many professionals and companies who have prioritized human-to-human interaction and problem-solving.

Furthermore, workers are most comfortable with AI-led onboarding and training (67%), followed closely by a preference for performance reviews with AI feedback (60%). For HR and L&D professionals, these results demonstrate the dire importance of working with AI technology and implementing it within current workflows and strategies. While for companies investing in AI-based tools, these results point to ways in which HR and L&D departments can gain the trust of other workers with a more efficient team.

Preventing Bias in AI

The most widely discussed potential issue with both widespread AI usage and HR processes is bias. A commonly used example showing AI bias in action is facial recognition technology failing to analyze and recognize darker skin tones, thus amplifying racial bias. On the other hand, personal biases can impact HR professionals’ assessments of other employees due to both unconscious and implicit biases.

There are a few solutions to each kind of bias. For AI, it’s imperative to both train your systems with diverse data points and train employees to ethically use AI. In the case of human biases, all employees should undergo non-bias training to understand and recognize the unconscious and implicit biases encountered daily. Then, with the knowledge of identifying them, human HR professionals and other employees can work to eliminate them from their day-to-day life.

Onboarding and Training with AI

AI has streamlined onboarding and training processes for new employees. Here are some of the steps and phases of the onboarding process:

• Pre-onboarding preparation: AI can personalize onboarding schedules by analyzing a new hire’s role, skills and location. For instance, generative AI can create role-specific onboarding checklists. Some platforms can auto-schedule training sessions in a learning management system (LMS).
• Interactive orientation: During orientation, AI agents can provide real-time answers to frequently asked questions, such as “How do I log into my account?” or “What’s our vacation policy?” This reduces pressure on HR teams while helping employees feel supported.
• Customized training modules: AI-powered LMS platforms use predictive analytics to recommend training materials tailored to the employee’s prior knowledge and learning pace. Employees with limited technical skills could receive foundational training in common applications, while others might be fast-tracked to advanced modules.
• Feedback and adjustments: AI can monitor engagement metrics, such as time spent on modules or quiz scores, to flag employees who may need additional support or updated materials. Generative AI tools can adapt content based on real-time performance data.

By integrating these steps into your onboarding strategy, AI can ensure employees feel ready to contribute while saving learning professionals’ time and effort. Since the previously mentioned survey details that nearly 40% of workers trust AI for onboarding and training, it’s wise to balance in-person and online training to find the mix that accommodates all learning styles.

AI for Continual Learning

It’s more important than ever for businesses to establish a learning culture for continual employee growth, and AI is here to help. Here’s how employers can effectively implement AI for ongoing development:

• Personalized learning paths: AI platforms analyze employees’ roles, skills, and career goals to curate a learning pathway tailored to their needs. For instance, a marketing associate interested in digital strategy could receive courses on PPC campaigns, social media analytics, and AI in marketing.
• Real-time learning recommendations: AI tools can assess trending industry skills or internal data to suggest training topics. When customer service trends show a rise in chatbot adoption, the system might prioritize training employees on conversational AI tools.
• On-demand learning assistance: Virtual AI tutors or assistants can answer questions or provide just-in-time resources when employees encounter challenges during work.
• Skill-gap analysis: AI analytics can help identify gaps in an employee’s skill set and recommend targeted training. For example, an engineer lacking proficiency in specific programming languages might be assigned a corresponding lesson.
• Gamified microlearning: To keep employees engaged, AI platforms can break down complex topics into bite-sized lessons and gamify the experience with quizzes or badges. Platforms use AI to customize these microlearning sessions, creating engaging and efficient experiences.

By embedding AI into continual learning strategies, employers can nurture a culture of growth and equip employees with the tools they need to excel.

Implementing AI platforms for employee learning will also help alleviate repetitive tasks from HR teams by automating enrollment, tracking progress, certificate distribution, and content creation.

Conclusion

With AI in the HR market expected to grow to $11.63 billion by 2028, it’s clear that the future of HR is in AI. Therefore, it’s more important than ever to invest in AI platforms and develop your company’s knowledge and use of the technology. Develop your training deployment schedule by prioritizing who needs to begin implementing AI into workflows the most.

As AI platforms are deployed, be sure to also encourage the use of human-centered leadership skills, as people often fear the loss of human interaction with the increased use of AI. Emphasizing the continuing development of these soft human-centric skills will help to put the entirety of your workforce at ease.