By Helena Turpin: CEO and Co-Founder of GoFIGR
As someone who attends HR conferences worldwide, I see firsthand the confusion surrounding AI; and for good reason! After all, there are varying takes on AI use – even more so in the human-centric HR space.
Reports from McKinsey & Company (and many others similar to this) show that more and more companies have been investing in technology: AI and automation included.
However, in reality…
…many HR teams still aren’t using AI to maximise its potential, and I can tell you, AI can make a lot of difference in HR.
Maybe not in ways that you imagine, but game-changing, nonetheless.
The truth is, AI isn’t about replacing HR teams – it’s about enhancing what we already do and finding that balance where technology perfectly complements human skills.
But the hardest part? Figuring out where to start.
That’s why I want to share some of the real, practical ways we use AI at GoFIGR and how you can start integrating it into your HR function today.
No futuristic hype. Just simple, effective ways to make AI work for your HR teams.
Ready? Here are six practical ways HR teams can integrate AI today. Don’t worry – none of these require complex implementations
6 practical ways your HR team can use AI tools:
Given the widespread discussion on AI and its practical applications, there is a possibility that these tools are already familiar to you. Now, I want to focus on how they streamline seemingly tedious recruitment and employee engagement tasks.
So, let’s start simple – and feel free to check out each of these tools as we go through them.
1. Use AI to find free, customisable learning resources
Training budgets aren’t unlimited and finding the right learning resources can take hours. So, my team and I at GoFIGR use Perplexity – an AI-powered research tool – to quickly find high-quality, free learning content on AI and other upskilling topics.
Instead of spending days compiling training materials, we let AI do the heavy lifting, curating relevant articles, videos and courses that your team can access instantly.
The possibilities are endless too – once you know what you’re looking for, it’s easier to find free training resources that match your team’s unique learning and development needs.
2. Need to translate employee surveys? AI can help!
If you work in a global company, you know how challenging it can be to get meaningful engagement survey responses when employees speak different languages.
AI-powered translation tools like ChatGPT and DeepL help by instantly converting surveys into multiple languages while keeping the original tone and intent intact.
Picture this: we recently translated an employee career survey into five languages in minutes – that’s something that would have taken days if done manually!
3. HR meeting notes and analyses – easier with AI tools
One-on-one meetings provide valuable insights into employee engagement, but tracking trends across dozens of conversations can take way too much time.
Your HR team can use AI tools like Otter and Fireflies to take notes, scan meeting summaries and detect data patterns. Whether employees feel positive, disengaged or have recurring concerns, these notes help us save time organising and analysing meeting minutes.
Imagine: the time saved from notetaking can be used to take proactive steps before small HR issues become major retention risks.
4. You can also use AI to personalise outreach to potential talent
HR professionals know that generic recruitment messages don’t work anymore. Candidates expect a personal touch – and for good reason – hyper-personalisation is one of the key things McKinsey & Company highlight too.
At GoFIGR, we use AI to analyse LinkedIn profiles and craft hyper-personalised outreach messages.
Instead of spending hours tailoring each message, recruiters can generate customised, engaging messages in seconds, dramatically improving response rates. It’s a win-win!
5. Never-ending to-do list? Try this with AI
Now, this one’s something I have tried as a busy manager and business leader (pretty sure you can relate to this one!).
As a CEO, I know what it’s like to juggle a million tasks. Sometimes, it’s hard to know what’s truly urgent versus what can wait.
So, here’s what I tried:
I’ve used AI (I chose ChatGPT, but you can use whichever you prefer) to analyse my workload and identify which tasks I should prioritise, automate or delegate.
It’s pretty simple – but I can imagine how much time (and maybe even stress) using AI-powered tools can save HR managers by streamlining their day-to-day workload and freeing up time for more strategic initiatives.
6. Lastly: try AI-powered HR solutions like GoFIGR
I’ve always believed that AI isn’t just a tool but a strategic advantage.
That’s why we built GoFIGR, an AI-powered internal talent marketplace platform that helps HR teams match employees to new opportunities, identify skill gaps and make workforce planning more strategic.
It’s an easy way to integrate AI into HR without the complexity of a full-scale transformation.
The best part?
GoFIGR helps HR professionals be more proactive, strategic and impactful in finding, inspiring, growing and retaining top talent from within.
Remember: AI doesn’t have to be overwhelming
On the contrary, it’s supposed to make our lives easier!
The biggest mistake I see most HR teams make is waiting for a “perfect” AI strategy before getting started. The truth is, AI is already here, and it’s already making a difference.
Helena Turpin spent 20 years in talent and HR innovation where she solved people-related problems using data and technology. She left corporate life to create GoFIGR where she helps mid-sized organizations to develop and retain their people by connecting employee skills and aspirations to internal opportunities like projects, mentorship and learning.
