Human Resources in the Age of AI — What's Changing & How an HR Degree Can Help

As generative artificial intelligence (GAI) is transforming industries, companies, and business functions, the management of human capital is no exception to its impact. From the widely spread recruitment chatbots that take on the initial screening of candidates through automating compensation and benefits tasks, to providing adaptive to personal needs employee trainings, GAI tools are not only gaining popularity in Human Resource Management but also keep diversifying and getting better at what they do. Today, many tasks previously performed by HR professionals are in the hands of AI technologies, but this is in no way a death sentence for the profession. Rather, HR managers face the unique opportunity to lead an AI-driven workforce and do so with the help of GAI tools. Are you interested in becoming a part of the HR transformation?

How Artificial Intelligence Is Revolutionizing HR

In the past few years, AI tools have penetrated all key functions in Human Resources Management (HRM), supporting leaders and experts to improve their efficiency and enhance their decision-making through data and analytics. Here is a brief review of trendy AI technologies and their application in HR:

• Talent Acquisition: AI-Enhanced Candidate Sourcing and Screening Processes — AI tools for sourcing candidates across different platforms, including engaging with active job seekers and passive talent matches; chatbots and agents, which engage with candidates during the initial screening and interviewing stages; AI-powered candidate assessments that evaluate skills, soft competencies, decision-making strategies, and cultural fit.
• Employee Experience: AI-Driven Personalization and Task Automation — AI tools that take on routine tasks so employees can focus on more meaningful and engaging work; AI-personalized learning plans that support employees to gain the skills needed to excel in their positions; AI-driven feedback-providing agents that use real-time performance analytics to suggest improvements in process, communication, and deliverables; AI tools, designed to gather employee feedback and propose changes to address common concerns and issues.
• Onboarding and Training: Personalized Learning Systems and Adaptive Development Programs — AI systems providing personalized onboarding journeys with a focus on the needs of the role and the specific learning style and preferences of the new hire; AI assistants that help new hires go through orientation and forms completion in a timely manner; AI-powered simulations and games that support employees to gain the skills and knowledge they need to successfully achieve their goals; AI analytics of strategic goals and current human capital that identifies skills gaps and training needs; AI chatbots that clarify task expectations and provide instant feedback on task execution.
• Workforce Analytics: Predictive Modeling and Data-Driven Workforce Planning — AI predictive analytics that estimate workforce needs, expected attrition, workload planning, and resource allocation; AI models that analyze historical data to outline workforce trends and identify events that might not be easily observable; AI tools that optimize scheduling and identify inefficiencies in the workflows.
• Ethical Leadership: Bias Detection and Fair Employment Practice Systems — AI tools that detect unconscious bias in performance reviews and promotion decisions, and help reduce it; AI agents that collect one-on-one data from employees on concerns about privacy or perceived unfair treatment; bias auditing tools for recruitment that flag discriminatory language and evaluate the outcomes for different groups, based on gender, age, ethnicity, and other people characteristics; AI systems that track emerging biased patterns and provide timely alerts for corrective decision-making.

Why an HR Degree is More Valuable Than Ever

HR management has always been about driving business results through empowering the human capital in the organization. Today, this goal has not changed, but the most successful HR leaders will be those who are able to harness the power of AI to redefine work and enhance people's capabilities. Earning an HR degree can help aspiring and established HR professionals to not only learn the essentials of all key HRM functions, such as workforce planning and strategy development, but also to gain the skills and competencies that emerge as key to people management in the era of AI. Some of those are:

• Data Literacy and HR Analytics: Strategic Partnership Through Evidence-Based Decision-Making — In a data-driven world, enriched with AI insights from large datasets, HR professionals need data analytics literacy. A key responsibility in the field will include collecting, analyzing, and interpreting diverse data linked to people management, including the competence to spot trends and problems, as well as to make data-driven decisions. Ultimately, it is through data analytics that HR experts become strategic partners to organizational leadership and support their companies by aligning people operations and decisions with the strategic goals of the organization.
• Change Management: Organizational Resilience and Adaptive Capacity Development — From the start of the pandemic in 2020 to the current AI revolution, businesses across the globe have gone through unprecedented changes. Global supply chain disruptions, economic turmoil, remote work spread, digital transformations, and wide adoption of artificial intelligence are just a few large-scale changes that have affected people management in organizations. HR leaders must not only lead change effectively but also take responsibility for building a change capacity in their organizations. As Deszca et al. (2025) emphasize, change capacity is about cultivating a culture and mindset that embraces adaptability, continuous learning, and resilience through engaging organizational members on all levels and developing change leaders. Building such a culture and mindset will require significant thought and effort from the people strategists and will be another critical way through which HR supports the business strategy and growth of their organization.
• AI Integration: Technology Fluency and Strategic Implementation — As more and more AI tools emerge in the HRM field, it becomes a must to understand how AI tools operate, what data they are fed with, and how the outputs are produced. AI literacy, including promoting competency, will be the foundation on which HR leaders build to explore, compare, and utilize AI technology in HRM processes. While technical expertise will not be required from HR experts, AI fluency or the ability to understand AI tools' capabilities, contextualize them within the specifics of the organization's needs, and choose technologies that align with organizational goals will be necessary skills.
• Ethical Decision-Making in Tech-Driven HR: Responsible AI Governance and Employee Rights Protection — As AI and work automation spread across organizations, upholding standards for fairness, transparency, and respect for employee rights becomes another critical task for HR leaders to tackle. They must proactively address issues related to algorithmic bias, employee privacy breaches, and the ambiguity in automated proposals by AI. Establishing transparent ethical guidelines on the use of AI, conducting regular audits for bias, including bias in AI tools, and involving employees in the adoption and use of AI technologies will be of critical importance to HRM. In addition, it is the people strategists who will need to figure out how AI technologies will responsibly take over human tasks and how jobs will need to be redesigned in a way so that AI supports talent and doesn't eradicate it. In the era of AI revolution, it falls on the shoulders of HR professionals to prioritize ethics, inclusivity, and the responsibility of people management.
• Leadership and People-Centric Skills: Human-Centered Management in Technology-Enhanced Environments — People management has always been centered on people-centric skills. Motivating employees, engaging them in the organization's purpose and strategic goals, communicating with them, and empowering them to achieve their best potential while supporting the strategic goals of the organization has always been at the cornerstone of the soft service people management delivers to business strategy. Human competencies, such as empathy, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, and relationship building, are more vital than ever and are needed to ensure that technology complements rather than replaces the human connection we all experience at work.

How HR Programs at UMass Global Prepare You for the AI-Driven Workplace

As AI penetrates HRM functions, HR professionals face the unique opportunity to stand at the intersection of technology and people while navigating the changes in workforce planning and employee experience. As AI transforms the HR processes – from improving efficiency through automation of routine tasks to improving efficiency through real-time performance and process evaluations – HR experts will be the key players in guiding ethical adoption of technology, while fostering human connection and human capital development. AI will not take over HRM; rather, it will empower those who embrace it. With an HR degree, you will have the unique opportunity to gain human-centric skills coupled with a tech-savvy mindset to leverage AI for the betterment of the people and the advancement of organizational goals, thus allowing you to take on an indispensable role in a rapidly evolving business landscape.

Do you want to be a part of the evolving world of human resources? UMass Global has various certificates and degree offerings in the HR realm – from an MBA with HR emphasis to an MS in HR, a business administration bachelor's with HR emphasis to 11 certificates and certification prep courses – all designed for career relevance. Ready to take the next steps? Speak with an enrollment coach today at 800.746.0082.

This blog was written by our UMass Global faculty member Evelina Atanassova, Associate Professor of Business Administration, Human Resources, and Leadership. Learn more about her career experience.