Navigating the Gen AI Revolution: CHROs at the Forefront of Change

Introduction?

Generative AI (Gen AI) has the potential to revolutionize business operations by empowering CHROs to enhance key HR KPIs and unlock untapped value for their enterprises. Accenture's study reveals the emergence of High-Res CHROs in a select set of organizations that are driving the reinvention agenda and discovering new value streams. So, how can they make this happen? Well, they're bringing together data, technology, and people in fresh, smart ways that keep the ball of change constantly rolling. The latest advances in Gen AI can speed up this process, shifting the way things are done and helping the workforce reach its full potential.?

Multiple use cases of AI technologies having an impact on key HR KPIs in recruiting are already emerging. For example, DBS Bank's virtual recruiter, "Jim," powered by impress.ai, reduced hiring time for the company by 75% and saved up to 40 staff hours each month, while Unilever's deployment of HireVue AI-driven assessments led to ￡1 million yearly cost savings an equivalent of 100,000 hours of recruitment time. However, widespread adoption of Gen AI will have far wider implications on the entire organization. For example, recent research from Accenture suggests that applications like Chat GPT and similar variants can impact up to 40% of working hours thus transforming how work is done.??

By harnessing the full spectrum of Gen AI applications, including text-text, text-image, and text-video capabilities, CHROs can drive transformative change across their organizations. Amid macro-economic uncertainties, the strategic adoption of Gen AI can optimize broader KPIs, such as employee engagement, and secure a competitive edge that extends beyond talent attraction and retention. The question remains: how can CHROs fully embrace these tools and create a dynamic, efficient HR function powered by Gen AI? Here are some use cases:?

?·??????Text-Text. The advent of text-generation AI applications like ChatGPT offers CHROs a powerful tool for streamlining and automating various HR processes. From candidate screening and interview scheduling to answering employee queries and crafting personalized learning plans, text-text Gen AI enables HR professionals to focus on higher-value tasks while ensuring consistent and prompt communication with employees.??

?·??????Text-Image. Ground-breaking text-image applications like DALL-E, have the potential to revolutionize visual communication within the HR domain. By converting textual descriptions into visually appealing images, applications like DALL-E and similar others, can be employed in designing captivating recruitment materials, creating engaging training content (e.g., infographics), and crafting visually rich employee communications. The ability to generate custom visuals instantly can save valuable time and resources, empowering HR teams to focus on strategic initiatives.??

?·??????Text-Video. Amongst the suite of Gen AI applications, the Text-video applications are still early stage. Once developed, they have immense potential offering CHROs the opportunity to create immersive and interactive multimedia content for their workforce, at speed. Whether it's developing engaging onboarding materials, designing dynamic e-learning modules, or producing personalized employee feedback videos, these tools enable HR professionals to enhance employee experiences and foster a culture of continuous learning and development.??

By embracing the generative AI revolution and extracting unparalleled value, HR leaders can propel their organizations to new heights. However, with new technologies comes the need to apply new guardrails to make best use of the technology. Here are three strategic levers to pull, to help them integrate Gen AI into the fabric of their organizations:?

1.??????Building AI Competency: To truly harness generative AI, CHROs must lead the charge in cultivating AI expertise within their HR teams. By offering training programs, workshops, and online courses that cover AI and machine learning fundamentals, HR professionals can stay ahead of the curve. Encouraging collaboration between HR and innovation teams allows organizations to explore new use cases and ensure effective AI project implementation. Take Accenture's TQ (Technology Quotient) study program, for example: through its digital assessment and learning platform, it trains employees in AI and highlights how it adds value for clients.?

2.??????Ethical AI Adoption: As generative AI takes center stage in HR functions, addressing ethical concerns such as data privacy, bias, and transparency is paramount. CHROs must champion best practices and ethical guidelines for responsible AI implementation, including regular audits, external expertise, and alignment with organizational values. Consider the recent lawsuits in the United States, where Getty Images sued Stable Diffusion for copyright infringement, and GitHub and OpenAI faced software privacy issues.?

3.??????Cultivating a Culture of Innovation: To fully unleash generative AI's transformative potential, CHROs must foster a culture that celebrates innovation and continuous improvement. By promoting experimentation with new tools, applauding successes, and learning from failures, HR leaders can create an environment that embraces risk-taking and adaptation. Building a digital core involves integrating emerging technologies and business capabilities. The latest Total Enterprise Reinvention report reveals that 64% of Reinventors are proactively monitoring and screening next-generation intelligence technologies, staying ahead in the game.?

Conclusion. In a rapidly evolving world of work, organizations must keep pace with cutting-edge talent strategies. Generative AI integration in HR functions offers CHROs a golden opportunity to revolutionize their organizations, streamline operations, and elevate employee experiences. By harnessing tools like ChatGPT, DALL-E, and emerging text-video applications, HR leaders can tap into unprecedented efficiency and effectiveness. However, to fully harness generative AI's power, CHROs must first focus on building AI competency, continue to champion ethical AI adoption, and invest in nurturing a culture of innovation and continuous improvement. By taking action on these strategic recommendations, CHROs can catapult their organizations to the vanguard of the generative AI revolution.?

Author: Gaston Carrion, Managing Director, Talent and Organisation Lead, Growth Markets, Accenture