HR professionals have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to position themselves as strategic enablers in organizations' AI journeys, but must overcome barriers to do so

SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey report from Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, sponsored by Eightfold AI, reveals the pivotal role human resources professionals must play in ensuring organizations thrive in the era of artificial intelligence. While the findings underscore the transformative potential of AI, they also reveal the current gaps in capabilities and executive perceptions that HR departments must add to effectively address AI-related challenges.

The report is based on a survey of 371 HR professionals and business leaders in the Harvard Business Review audience, 74% of whom hold senior or executive management roles, and 62% work at organizations with more than 1,000 employees. Overall sentiment from survey respondents indicates widespread agreement on the importance of talent in achieving AI success. A remarkable 91% of respondents believe that having the right talent is critical for effective AI integration. However, the report paints key issues: 72% acknowledge that AI has exacerbated existing technical skills gaps within their workforce, and only 21% of respondents report that HR leadership is closely involved in shaping organizational AI strategies.

Key Report Insights
In addition to the survey, the HBR authors interviewed several talent leaders from Fortune 500 companies to gain in-depth experiences and insights into their HR and AI initiatives. They emphasize that HR leaders must urgently adapt to a rapidly shifting landscape while also highlighting opportunities for forward-thinking HR teams to leverage AI as a strategic advantage, particularly through upskilling, reskilling, and fostering adaptability within their organizations. Other key report findings include:

• Lack of AI Expertise as a Barrier: 52% of survey respondents cite insufficient AI expertise within their function as the top challenge preventing HR from playing a role in AI strategy.
• Effectiveness in Reskilling/Upskilling: Only 35% feel their teams are effective at reskilling or upskilling employees to meet emerging AI demands.
• Training Priorities: Over half (54%) are prioritizing employee development in AI-related skills as a strategy to mitigate skill gaps and support AI initiatives.
• Data Literacy and Adaptability Are Key: Survey respondents believe that building skills in data literacy, change management, and adaptability is foundational to creating AI-savvy talent leaders within the field of HR.
• HR's Strategic Involvement in AI: Only 21% of the 371 individuals surveyed believe that HR leadership plays an active role in shaping their organization's AI strategy, marking a significant disconnect between HR's potential and perception.
• Technical Skills Gaps Exposed: 72% agree that AI adoption has highlighted weaknesses in their workforce's technical proficiency, underscoring the urgency of HR-led upskilling.
• Emphasis on Creative Problem-Solving Over Technical Skills: Business leaders increasingly value softer skills, such as creative problem-solving, over technical AI expertise alone, signaling an opportunity for HR to influence holistic development strategies.
• Lack of AI Talent Pipeline Planning: Many executives believe their organizations are struggling to create sustainable pipelines for AI-related talent, signaling an opportunity for first-mover organizations to gain a competitive advantage.

Insights into Evolving HR Professionals
The report also explores the changing profile of HR professionals in the AI era, identifying key competencies such as:

• Proficiency in Data-Driven Decision Making: HR leaders must become adept at collecting, analyzing, and leveraging workforce data to make strategic decisions that align with AI objectives.
• Change Management Skills: The ability to guide organizations through the cultural and procedural shifts AI adoption demands is critical.
• Adaptability: As AI technologies continue to evolve, HR must continually learn them and enable their workforce to do the same.

Rethinking Talent Strategies
The report calls for HR leaders to rethink traditional approaches to hiring and career development by adopting skills-based strategies that align with AI priorities. This includes shifting from role-centric hiring to a focus on critical skills, ensuring employees are prepared for rapidly changing job demands, and fostering a work culture that embraces AI.

The findings also underscore that HR professionals have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to position themselves as strategic enablers in organizations' AI journeys—but must overcome barriers to do so.

The full report, Empowering HR to Become AI-Savvy Talent Leaders, is available at https://eightfold.ai/learn/hbr-empowering-hrteams-to-become-ai-savvy-talent-leaders/

About Eightfold AI

Eightfold's Talent Intelligence is evolving into Talent Advantage—an end-to-end system that acts, not just analyzes. Eightfold's AI engages with candidates from the moment of interest, screening, interviewing, and selecting top talent. Once hired, each employee's digital twin accelerates onboarding, amplifies productivity, and surfaces real-time insights from across the organization. With a unified platform for internal mobility and growth, CHROs can now lead a workforce that is engaged, adaptive, self-improving, and most importantly, productive.

Eightfold's patented deep learning and agentic AI platform is available in more than 155 countries and 24 languages, enabling cutting-edge enterprises to transform their talent into a competitive advantage. For more information, visit www.eightfold.ai.

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SOURCE Eightfold AI