Is HR ready to lead the AI revolution? 3 experts weigh in

By 2028, nearly 80% of business and IT leaders expect AI to drive significant transformation. Yet without a human-centered strategy, AI investments risk becoming expensive experiments with little lasting impact.

“Implementing AI without a people strategy is like buying a high-performance car without knowing how to drive,” Dieter Veldsman, Chief Scientist at AIHR.

HR must be more than passengers in this journey, they must take the wheel. We brought together three experts - Dieter Veldsman, Chief Scientist at AIHR, Florence Nony, Senior Advisor to the President at Videlio and Ian Strik, AI Ambassador at Lepaya to explore how HR can become a trusted guide for AI adoption across the business.

AI in organizations: Where are we today?

To begin to understand what AI adoption truly means for today’s workplaces, it’s crucial to look at it on three levels:

1. Individual level
This is where AI often enters the organization first. Employees use tools to analyze data, draft communications, and generate content, boosting day-to-day productivity. But individual use alone doesn’t equal transformation.

2. Process and practice level
The next step is integrating AI into how work actually gets done. How can AI agents run or support entire processes? How do we shift from isolated use cases to embedding AI into team workflows and core practices?

3. Enterprise level
At this scale, AI has the potential to fundamentally reshape the organization. It impacts job design, talent strategies, operating models, and even culture. This is where the workforce must be reimagined - not just augmented.

In 2025, it’s clear that AI is reshaping the skills organizations need, driving productivity, and transforming how humans contribute to work. But despite the hype, the gap between ambition and impact is stark:

• Only 25% of AI initiatives deliver expected ROI.
  
  
• Just 15% of employees say their company has a clear AI strategy.
  
  

While 78% of businesses use AI in at least one function, only 40% have successfully scaled it. Why?

We asked over 50 HR leaders, and their answer was clear: the biggest barriers to AI adoption are unclear use cases, a lack of knowledge or training, and limited buy-in from both leadership and employees. It’s a strong reminder that AI isn’t just a technology challenge, it’s a people-centered transformation. That makes HR not just stakeholders, but key drivers of successful AI adoption.

How is AI reshaping the role of HR?

When it comes to AI, HR has a dual responsibility:

1. Guiding the organization through AI-driven transformation

HR must help the organization interpret what AI disruption means and guide the transition to becoming an AI-enabled enterprise. Leading organizations are forming multidisciplinary, cross-functional teams to navigate this shift. HR should be at the forefront of that effort.

“HR’s role is to lead, not follow. We must anticipate and manage change, upskill and reskill our teams, democratize AI through training, address fears, measure impact - and we must start now.” Florence Nony, Senior Advisor to the President at Videlio

2. Defining what AI means for HR itself

AI presents a unique opportunity for HR to fulfill its long-standing promise of becoming a true strategic partner to the business. With the technology now available to elevate HR’s contribution, the question becomes: How do we prepare our own teams to adapt AI in a sustainable, value-driven way?

What skills do HR leaders need to lead AI transformation?

When we asked HR leaders about their AI journey, most described it as still in the early stages - “exploring and piloting tools with limited strategy.”

But successful AI adoption won’t come from waiting for a budget or a top-down directive. It requires HR to lead by example - by learning how to prompt effectively, experimenting with tools, and role-modeling adoption across the organization.

This is especially urgent when we consider inclusion: studies show that women are 16–20% less likely to use tools like ChatGPT - even in the same roles. In HR, where 70% of professionals are women, this usage gap could risk leaving a majority of the workforce behind.

That’s why HR needs to build the skills - not just to adopt AI, but to lead with it.

“Curiosity, discipline, and a willingness to learn are the three main competencies HR leaders need.” — Florence Nony, Senior Advisor to the President at Videlio

There are four steps HR leaders can take:

1. Educate yourself on what AI is and what it isn’t. Confront the fear with facts.
2. Play with the tools to understand their capabilities and boundaries.
3. Join structured experiments and learn from how others are applying AI.‍
4. Go beyond your own workflow to explore how AI can enhance collaboration across teams.

“Start experimenting now. Dedicate at least 10 hours to hands-on work with AI to develop an intuitive sense of what it is, where it performs best, and where it still fundamentally depends on us—humans. Because ultimately, it's our role to lead.” — Ian Strik, AI Ambassador at Lepaya

Key elements of successful AI adoption

“Buying licenses is not a strategy.” Dieter Veldsman, Chief Scientist at AIHR

Successful AI adoption requires more than enthusiasm or experimentation - it demands purpose, leadership, and a people-first approach. Here are the key elements:

1. Define the purpose behind AI adoption

Many organizations rushed into AI with a reactive mindset, fueled by hype rather than intention. But as the novelty fades, a more important question arises: Why are we adopting AI?

“Some things are fun to do, but they’re not helpful. You need to be able to differentiate.” Dieter Veldsman, Chief Scientist at AIHR

Not every use case creates value. HR leaders must guide teams to distinguish between novelty and strategic necessity, ensuring AI serves business goals.

2. Drive adoption from the top

The absence of clear leadership creates confusion and slows progress. Issues like data privacy, appropriate toolsets, and ethical use require a strong, unified message.

“Adoption needs to be driven from the very top. CEOs and the executive committee are primarily responsible for setting the vision, mission, and narrative for AI transformation in the company.” Florence Nony, Senior Advisor to the President at Videlio

3. Start before it’s perfect

A common pitfall is waiting for the “ideal” tool before taking action. In reality, early experimentation is critical to building momentum and confidence. Don’t aim for perfect - aim for progress. Pilot, learn, iterate.

4. Build AI-ready skills across the workforce

Employees need more than access, they need capability. That means investing in four core areas:

• AI tool literacy – Understanding what tools are available and how to use them.
  
• Practical skills – Prompt engineering and task design; knowing how to ask the right questions.
  
• Critical and ethical thinking – Recognizing bias, applying AI responsibly, and knowing when human judgment matters most.
  
• Human–AI collaboration – Learning to work with AI, not against it.
  
  

“Engrain those skill sets in people, and they’ll figure out the rest.” Dieter Veldsman, Chief Scientist at AIHR

Conclusion: Building an AI‑first, human‑centered workplace of the future

The hidden cost of mismanaged AI? High turnover, hidden biases, and stunted innovation. Studies show replacing a technical employee can cost 100–150% of their salary - yet AI-driven disruption without proper people support can drive attrition just as fast.

Duolingo laid off a significant number of contractors after shifting content creation to AI- only to face customer backlash, negative press, and a wave of app deletions. Klarna replaced 700 customer service agents with AI, but was forced to backtrack after a noticeable drop in service quality.

These missteps underscore a crucial truth: AI can enhance efficiency, but without human empathy, ongoing learning, and transparent governance, it risks eroding trust and long-term value.

HR leaders are uniquely positioned to guide this technology shift- ensuring that AI is integrated in ways that amplify human potential, foster innovation, and prepare organizations for a more resilient, future-ready workforce.

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