Artificial Intelligence in HR

Featured article by Rick DelGado, Independent Technology Author

Artificial Intelligence is often thought of as a futuristic luxury rather than a practical solution to commonplace problems. However, over the last several years this technology has begun to gain traction, making artificial intelligence no longer a thing of the future, but of the present. AI now does everything from helping doctors identify trends in medical records to allowing marketers create highly responsive customer service interfaces. With the advent of Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, AI can even be found in our homes and in our pockets helping us with everyday tasks. Perhaps more practical than any other application is the use of artificial intelligence in human resources.

Yes, believe it or not, developers have found ways to use AI’s deep learning and predictive analysis capabilities to help HR personnel. With the help of this new technology, the folks in HR are now able to offer employees the most responsive and helpful support possible. Additionally, when it comes to talent acquisition, promotions and layoffs, new AI applications are allowing HR departments to operate on a whole new level. Let’s take a look at how artificial intelligence technology is making these things happen.

Employee Chatbots

Ever heard of chatbots? Chatbots are essentially virtual employees that interact with customers over the phone or via instant messenger, typically on the company’s web support portal. Although chatbots are computers and not real people, they are often programmed with realistic voice tones and inflections, such that some customers fail to identify them as computers. Chatbots utilize deep learning AI technology, which allows them to learn from interactions with customers. Because of this propensity for learning, they are able to offer increasingly precise and pertinent assistance to patrons.

Although chatbots are primarily used for marketing and sales purposes, HR departments have begun putting this AI application to work in their offices. By creating chatbots that cater to the needs of employees rather than customers, HR departments are now able to simplify the process of internal communications in the case of recurring inquiries. In many cases, employees can now receive the information they need from HR immediately through HR chatbots, sometimes known as intelligent assistants. This is good since 3.7 million workers work remotely and thus have limited access to HR personnel. In the age of technology and instant gratification that we live in, this development will fit right in.

Hiring, Firing and Promoting

Now that data has become such a major factor in the decision making process for many companies, business personnel are showing unprecedented interest in things like data mining, IT Transformation, and predictive analytics programs, which is rooted artificial intelligence technology. Companies typically rely on consumer data to inform their marketing and product decisions. Specifically, predictive analytics programs are used to analyze a data set and provide insights to business personnel. This technology is great for not only understanding consumers, but also understanding employees or potential employees.

Put yourself in the shoes of a recruiter or talent acquisition manager in the HR department of a notable company. You want to hire the candidate who is more qualified, right? You want the decision to be objective? Imagine if you could enlist the help of a computer program specially designed to objectively identify the most qualified applicant. That’s exactly what predictive analytics is doing for talent acquisition. With the emergence of programs that are equipped to assess the resume, including experience, hard and soft skills of thousands of applicants and produce a short list of stand-out applicants, HR personnel can spend time focusing on the thing they’re most interested in: the people. Predictive analysis allows HR to spend more time finding the right fit, from a small pool of qualified applicants, rather than sifting through resumes, which is particularly useful when filling a vacancy is time sensitive.

Similarly, predictive analysis technology can be used to evaluate the data derived from the performance of current employees to determine when promotions are due and conversely, when a company would benefit from letting certain employees go.

Clearly, artificial intelligence has made an impact on HR, streamlining internal communication and making hiring and firing more precise and efficient. As this impressive technology rolls forward, time will tell what intriguing solutions it will yet yield.

by Rick DelGado, Independent Author

“I’ve been blessed to have a successful career and have recently taken a step back to pursue my passion of writing. I’ve started doing freelance writing and I love to write about new technologies and how it can help us and our planet.” – Rick DelGado