AI in HR: Not a Tool. A Teammate.

How HR leaders are using AI to cut admin, build trust, and redesign work.

“We’re not deploying tech. We’re redesigning work.”

That’s what an HR leader told us on a recent discovery call—and it stuck.

AI in HR isn’t about layering another tool on top of broken workflows. It’s about rethinking how HR operates, how it serves employees, and how it collaborates across the business.

In a recent webinar, Kinfolk CEO Jeet Mukerji shared insights from HR leaders across North America and the UK on what’s actually working—and what’s just noise.

The AI moment is here. But most employees haven’t been told.

• 93% of Fortune 500 CHROs say they’re implementing or exploring AI.
• Only 33% of their employees know it’s happening.
• 52% believe AI might replace them.

That’s not a tech problem. That’s a trust problem.

Change moves at the speed of trust. And trust is built through transparency, reliability, empathy—and showing competence through action.

The shift: From software-as-a-service to service-as-software

Jeet framed the change this way: “With SaaS, you bought tools. With AI, you get a teammate. It does work for you, alongside you.”

This is why knowing the difference between generative and agentic AI matters. One writes. One acts. HR leaders who understand this are moving faster—and with more clarity—on where AI can actually help.

So what are leading HR teams doing differently?

Here’s what we’re seeing from forward-thinking HR teams implementing AI successfully:

1. They model the behavior they want to see.

They say it out loud:

“Yes, I used ChatGPT to help write this comms plan.”

They ask:

“Did you run this through an AI tool before sending it to me?”

They create space for experimentation:
– L&D budgets for AI fluency
– Cross-functional hackathons
– “Lunch & learns” with engineers

One global CHRO ran a hackathon with just the people team. In half a day, they surfaced 100+ use cases. Not all were great—but the fear dropped, and creativity showed up.

2. They flip the script for HR teams.

Instead of starting with “AI might replace your role,” they ask:

“What would you do with one hour back each day?”

Given that HR ops teams spend up to 39% of their time on manual admin (not counting invisible work), this question lands hard—and opens doors.

3. They start small, but aim wide.

The playbook looks like this:

• Begin with generative AI for Tier 0 FAQs and comms
• Graduate to agentic AI that handles 70% of employee requests
• Pick one use case, pilot with one team, and learn fast
• Build champions, not just consensus

You don’t need deep integrations to start. You need a real problem, one knowledge source, and the will to test.

4. They push for build-or-buy clarity.

Some orgs can build internally. Many can’t. Either way:

• Get the team closest to the pain involved in vendor selection
• Ask for pilots
• Measure time saved, satisfaction increased, and manual tasks reduced

The goal isn’t perfection—it’s momentum.

5. They form “AI Tiger Teams.”

Yes, it’s a real name. These AI Councils meet weekly across people, tech, and ops to answer:

• How did your team use AI this week?
• What worked? What didn’t?
• What are we repeating that could be shared?

One HR team discovered three internal GPTs doing the same task. One worked better. The other two were shut down. That kind of insight only comes through structured sharing.

Final thought: Stop aiming for the “one AI to rule them all.”

Employees don’t want one generic tool. They want something relevant, useful, and connected to the systems they actually use.

Instead of boiling the ocean, HR teams are winning by:

• Thinking like product managers
• Testing ideas fast
• Prioritizing use cases with real commercial impact
• Designing AI as part of the team—not a replacement for it

“There’s no silver bullet. AI isn’t one tool. It’s a shift in how work gets done."