AI may be changing the way HR works, but Celeste Taljaard, country director at HR Path, says the human side of HCM is not going anywhere
She shares why the future of AI will not be about replacing HR, but about giving people better tools to do the work only humans can.
Q: Why is AI becoming such an important topic in human capital management?
AI is no longer a future concept for HR. It is already changing how organisations attract, engage, develop, support, and retain their people. In human capital management, AI is moving beyond simple automation into a strategic role, helping HR functions become more predictive, personalised, efficient, and business-aligned.
At HR Path, our view is that AI should not be treated as a standalone technology project. Its true value lies in how it reshapes the HR operating model, improves employee experience, and enables HR leaders to focus their expertise where it matters most. Gartner research suggests that by 2030, many current HR activities may be automated or performed by AI agents, highlighting the scale of transformation ahead.
Q: Does HR Path believe AI will replace HR professionals?
No. HR Path’s position is that AI will change HR work, not remove the human purpose of HR. Transactional, repetitive, and data-heavy activities can be handled faster and more consistently by AI, but human judgement remains essential for sensitive decisions, employee relations, leadership advisory, organisational culture, ethics, and change management.
The future of HCM will be defined by collaboration between people and AI. AI can provide insights, recommendations, nudges, and automated support, but people must retain accountability for decisions that affect careers, wellbeing, fairness, and trust. AI should therefore be seen as an enabler of better HR, not a substitute for HR.
Q: How will AI transform HR operations?
HR operations are likely to experience one of the most visible shifts. Many teams currently spend significant time on Tier 0 and Tier 1 activities such as answering policy questions, processing standard requests, routing cases, and supporting employee self-service. AI agents can increasingly manage these activities through virtual assistants, knowledge portals, automated case handling, and intelligent employee support.
This does not make HR operations less important. It elevates the function. HR operations can evolve from transaction processing into a digital HR solutions and delivery capability, focused on creating seamless, accessible, data-driven employee services.
Q: What changes will managers and employees experience?
Employees and managers will increasingly expect HR services to feel as intuitive as the digital tools they use every day. AI can provide faster answers, personalised recommendations, proactive reminders, and more consistent support across the employee lifecycle.
For managers, AI-powered HRBP agents may become a first point of contact for routine questions and guidance, supporting policy interpretation, performance cycle reminders, onboarding actions, workforce insights, and suggested next steps. However, AI must be carefully governed and should not remove access to human HR expertise when decisions are complex, sensitive, or high risk.
Q: How will the role of HR business partners evolve?
AI can free HR business partners from repetitive advisory work and administrative follow-up. As AI absorbs more first-level manager interactions, HRBPs can focus on higher-value work such as workforce planning, organisational design, leadership coaching, change management, succession planning, and complex talent decisions.
This is an opportunity for HRBPs to become more strategic, not less relevant. Leading HR functions may increasingly use AI-driven insights to deploy human expertise where it has the greatest business impact.
Q: What does AI mean for Centres of Excellence?
Centres of Excellence will also change significantly. Traditionally, COEs have designed standardised HR policies, frameworks, and processes. With AI and real-time employee data, they can move toward designing more personalised HR products and experiences.
Examples include personalised onboarding journeys, tailored learning paths, career recommendations, targeted wellbeing support, adaptive performance enablement, and benefits guidance aligned to individual needs. HR Path sees this as a shift from process ownership to product ownership, where COEs understand users, design solutions, measure adoption, and continuously improve outcomes.
Q: What foundations must organisations put in place before scaling AI in HCM?
Successful AI adoption depends on more than selecting tools. Organisations need reliable people data, integrated HR systems, simplified processes, clear governance, and strong change management. Without clean data and well-designed processes, AI can simply automate complexity rather than solve it.
HR leaders should also build AI literacy across HR teams. People do not need to become data scientists, but they do need to understand what AI can do, where its limits are, how to interpret outputs, and when human escalation is required. Trust will depend on transparency, governance, fairness, and clear communication.
Q: What risks should HR leaders manage carefully?
AI in HCM must be implemented responsibly. The main risks include bias in decision-making, weak data quality, lack of transparency, overreliance on automation, privacy concerns, and employee mistrust. These risks are especially important in HR because decisions can directly affect people’s opportunities, development, wellbeing, and careers.
HR Path’s view is that AI must be human-first, ethical, and explainable. Decision rights should remain clear, sensitive scenarios should include human oversight, and AI outputs should be reviewed, tested, and improved continuously. The goal is not simply to make HR faster, but to make HR better, fairer, and more responsive.
Q: What should be on the CHRO’s AI agenda now?
CHROs should define how AI supports the enterprise people strategy. This means identifying where AI can create real value, redesigning workflows before automating them, strengthening data foundations, and creating a practical adoption roadmap. It also means involving employees, managers, HR, IT, legal, and business leaders early in the process.
The most successful organisations will not simply deploy the most AI tools. They will redesign work thoughtfully, build trust, and use AI to strengthen the relationship between HR and the business.
Q: What is HR Path’s overall view of the future of AI in HCM?
HR Path believes AI will become a core part of the future HCM landscape. It will help HR become more proactive, personalised, data-driven, and strategic, but only when embedded into a broader transformation of people, processes, technology, governance, and culture.
The future of HCM is not about choosing between technology and people. It is about using technology to elevate people. AI can handle repetitive work, generate insights, and personalise experiences at scale, while HR professionals remain essential for judgement, empathy, ethics, leadership, and strategic partnership.
For HR Path, the message is clear: AI is not just another HR technology trend. It is a catalyst for rethinking how HR creates value. Organisations that prepare now will be better positioned to deliver smarter services, stronger employee experiences, and more agile workforce strategies.
