How HR leaders can adopt AI comms whilst refining human-led conversations

We need to talk about AI, and specifically, we need to talk about how it’s impacting HR and comms departments across the globe. Make no mistake, AI is not going away and it could revolutionise how HR wizards go about their workday.

However, some HR leaders are still in the dark about the AI age. Gallagher’s State of the Sector report found that over one in ten communicators (13%) were unsure if their organisation was using AI, and a further 71% said their organisation provided zero guidance on when, where, or how to use the technology. 

HR leaders must ramp up engagement with AI, but they must not forget that human beings are ultimately responsible for delivering on strategic goals. AI isn’t a crutch, nor a replacement for genuine human thinking. It’s a tool, and like any other tool used by humans that needs fine-tuning, and to be used responsibly.‍

Leading the conversation‍

AI-powered solutions can save time and effort for comms teams, but it’s vital to stay on top of new developments in the field, which are emerging at a near-daily rate. Overall, AI uptake in the comms world is progressing at a steady pace, and the usage of AI in this capacity is closely aligned with how it’s leveraged in the wider business. Many comms leaders may self-identify as more proactively engaged with AI than others, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest that they’re not as conscious of AI and its uses than other departments.

This has significant implications. If another department - think customer support – is allowed to lead on the implementation of AI tools in a business, then the result will be procedures that suit that department, and not the needs of comms. Comms teams who sit out of the AI conversation risk having slapdash solutions forced on their employees.

In any event, it’s important that comms teams are given space to experiment with AI and to work out what suits their ways of working best. In general, the more someone uses AI the more they like it, which doesn’t come as a surprise. As Gallagher’s State of Sector Report found, regular users of AI are three times more likely to believe it will reduce their workload. It’s only possible to discover new opportunities for AI if employees are given the license to experiment.

However, there are barriers to this. Almost two-thirds of businesses are either blocking or considering blocking access to mainstream AI tools, slashing the opportunities for vital experimentation and understanding. Banning AI is not an effective solution for comms departments, and it incentivises people to find workarounds – if an employee knows AI can save time, they’ll beat any limitations and use it in uncontrolled ways.

Naturally, this comes with a great deal of risk. It’s far better to encourage IT-sanctioned AI with airtight governance and training, especially since using AI improperly can present data security challenges and legal risks, such as copyright claims. However, most businesses lack any concrete AI usage framework, and only 22% offer any form of training. AI is rolling out across the industry, and there’s a tangible risk that many employees may not realise when they’re using AI. If businesses don’t act fast and implement governance, we could reach a point where the lack of training may cause sudden and abrupt crises, such as the unintentional sharing of sensitive data.‍

Why we need human-led conversations‍

As AI-generated content becomes a greater part of our reading diet, people will become more skilled at picking up on specific quirks. You know it when you see it – the fractured syntax, the strange diction, the robotic tone of voice. Comms leaders should refrain from using AI to produce copy without strict editorial control. If a reader can identify that a piece of copy was drafted by generative AI, they may well lose trust in the communicator. Credibility remains the key currency of comms, so we cannot afford to lose it.

The key is to find a balance between using AI as a brainstorming tool and resisting the temptation to outsource all content drafting tasks to purely software. Skilled copywriting will always command value. Furthermore, AI cannot be depended upon as a reliable source; it is sometimes prone to ‘hallucinations’ – it makes facts up. The importance of careful fact-checking, as well as copy-editing, must not be underestimated. When HR leaders are spending more time fact-checking a piece of AI-generated content than it might have taken to produce the content from scratch, something has gone wrong.‍

Measuring performance of AI‍

AI is here to stay – we can’t uninvent it – and as it becomes more and more integral to the comms pipeline, we need to ensure it keeps working in our best interests. Take baseline measurements and regularly poll the workforce to see if AI comms is resulting in better audience approval. Of course, they may very well not move the needle, and that’s ok. Whatever happens though, AI mustn’t trigger a fall in approval. Tools like AI can seem too good to be true, so ask whether it’s worth compromising standards or whether you can maintain quality while reaping its rewards.‍

Final words‍

AI will change every aspect of our lives, and HR communications are not exempt. We’ve seen how it can unlock substantial advantages, and in a controlled regulatory environment, there are countless opportunities for new wins. Faster turnarounds, stronger ideation, snappier comms – the possibilities are exciting, to say the very least. But the human factor still matters. AI may lead our industry into new frontiers, but AI itself must always be human-led.