The AI you can actually use: real adoption and results inside HR

00:03 – Lucy Adams (Host)
Welcome to HR Disrupted with me, Lucy Adams. Each episode will explore innovative approaches for leaders and HR professionals and challenge the status quo with inspiring but practical people strategies. So if you’re looking for fresh ideas, tips and our take on the latest HR trends, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

So, as we know, AI isn’t something that’s coming in the future — it’s already here and it’s already reshaping how we hire, develop and engage our people. The pace of change can feel a bit daunting at times, I think, but the big challenge for us in HR is how we shift from kind of dabbling with new tools to really using AI as a strategic enabler.

In this episode, we’re going to explore the key opportunities and risks — from ethics and trust through to leadership development, talent management, employee engagement — and we’ll look at how HR professionals can equip themselves with the skills they need for the future. And to help me unpack all of this, I’m delighted to welcome one of the leading voices in people analytics and digital HR, David Green. Hi, David.

01:22 – David Green (Guest)
Hi Lucy, thanks for having me on the show.

01:24 – Lucy Adams (Host)
Looking forward to it — we’ve been trying to arrange this for a while, haven’t we? And now we’re here, and I know it’s going to be a really good one. You’ve been at the forefront of analytics and digital within HR for some time now — I think way before everyone else was talking about it. Can you give us an overview of your career and what inspired you to create your Digital HR Leaders podcast?

01:53 – David Green (Guest)
Well, thanks Lucy, and again thanks for having me on the show — and thank you for being on my podcast, The Digital HR Leaders Podcast, earlier this year. We’ve swapped roles now, so you get to ask the questions!

My career — gosh — it started way back in the 1990s, and I kind of came into HR through recruitment. So I was a recruiter, moved into RPO, did that for a few years, and then went to the south of France — I’ll come back to that in a minute. After a bit of time, I pivoted into people analytics — that was around ten years ago. I spent some time at IBM, but what really inspired me to get into that was actually my time in the south of France, outside HR, working for a travel technology company called Amadeus.

02:40 – Lucy Adams (Host)
Amadeus collects lots of data — whereabouts in the south of France were you?

02:43 – David Green (Guest)
I was working in Sophia Antipolis, just outside Antibes. Oh, tough life! Got married down there and both our children were born there as well. I sometimes wonder why we moved back to the UK — but we did. We must have missed the rain!

03:04
Amadeus collects a lot of data on behalf of travel providers — their clients — airlines, travel agencies, etc. It’s traveller data — business travellers, leisure travellers — but particularly on the business travel side, they’d provide insights back to the travel providers, which those providers would then use to personalise and create products themselves.

And it just made me think: why don’t we use some of this data that we collect in talent acquisition — or in HR more broadly — better? I wasn’t aware of any companies using analytics at the time. The odd thing is, it should actually be a lot easier to get data on our employees than it is on our customers.

I remember working with a bank in Australia — in their foyer they had these amazing customer personas, based on in-depth insights, and yet they had nothing equivalent for their people.

04:06 – Lucy Adams (Host)
And yet it should be the other way round — because that should be the easy data to get! Sorry, I interrupted.

04:12 – David Green (Guest)
No, no, that’s a very good point. And I think we could probably have a conversation about HR being ten years behind marketing. Marketing became a data-driven function long before we did. Maybe we’ve got the opportunity to do that now in HR — and some HR functions clearly are.

So, inspired by that, I moved back to the UK in 2011, did some research and found there were only a handful of companies using people data to make better business and talent decisions. Google was obviously the poster child at the time.

Eventually, that took me to IBM, and the passion became a vocation. Then, in 2017, together with Jonathan Ferrar and a couple of others, we set up Insight222 — a specialist people analytics professional services company. We now work with over 120 global organisations, helping them put people analytics at the centre of business.

And the podcast — the last part of your question — we started in 2019. We’ve produced over 250 episodes now. Like you, Lucy, I speak with CHROs, senior HR leaders, thinkers like yourself, analysts, and HR tech firms. The goal is to help HR professionals learn — to become more digital, more data- and AI-literate.

05:55 – Lucy Adams (Host)
We’re going to talk more about AI today than data and analytics — though of course there’s a big crossover there.

06:06
But we’ll have to have you back to talk about data and analytics in employee personas, because that personalisation potential is fascinating. I totally agree with you about marketing and what we can learn from them.

Let’s dive into AI — it’s the hot topic right now, not just in HR but across all industries. We hear a lot about the pace of AI adoption. From your perspective, how fast is the change in HR? Are we keeping up with the rest of the business — or lagging behind?

07:04 – David Green (Guest)
The first thing to say — as you said in your intro — the pace of change is daunting. And it’s not just HR struggling to keep up. There’s a lot of hype — whether at an HR tech event or a general tech event — it’s everywhere, and it’s hard to focus.

While we’ve been talking about AI for years, widespread adoption in HR is still relatively new.

I remember reading a BCG report in summer 2023 — just months after ChatGPT launched — and their line was that generative AI had done what no other technology trend had done before: it accelerated HR’s engagement with artificial intelligence.

We thought we’d test that, so last year we surveyed 348 organisations worldwide. 62% were in their first year of AI in HR, and another 18% hadn’t even started. So it’s early days.

We’re probably behind marketing — but not that far behind other support functions. The opportunity is huge though — not just in reinventing how we deliver HR and personalise programmes, but also in helping our organisations lead workforce transformation — and ensuring that the AI we use is responsible and ethical.

09:15 – Lucy Adams (Host)
Yeah, I’d agree. Even just six months ago, in our Disruptive HR Club, when we asked members if they used ChatGPT, the answer was “barely”. Now it’s dramatically different.

If you had to highlight two or three areas where AI is really making a difference in HR, what would they be?

09:50 – David Green (Guest)
According to our research, the top three are — first, chatbots. That’s about efficiency and productivity: streamlining admin tasks, addressing FAQs, freeing HR up for higher-value work.

Second, sentiment analysis of employee feedback. Surveys now include text-based comments, and with large language models we can analyse those much faster and get richer insights.

And third, augmented writing — especially for job descriptions. We all hate writing them, and generative AI can really help, as long as it’s based on good data.

If you look at sub-functions, recruitment and talent acquisition are leading — they’re typically the most progressive, like marketing.

12:40 – Lucy Adams (Host)
Yes, marketing has always been ahead in using personas and personalisation. Not surprising, really, especially where competition for talent is fierce.

That sentiment analysis piece brings us to ethics and trust. Analysing survey comments is one thing — but we also hear about sentiment being inferred from emails and Zoom calls. How do you see the biggest ethical challenges for HR leaders around AI?

13:22 – David Green (Guest)
The good news from our research is that companies are thinking about this. 52% now have a dedicated focus on governance and ethics in HR AI models — up from 37% last year. So that’s progress.

Three key points:

First, ensure responsible AI implementation through trust and transparency. Be clear with employees about what data you’re collecting and why — how it benefits them.

Second, shift from a jobs mindset to a tasks and skills mindset. AI doesn’t replace whole roles — it automates tasks. HR needs to influence leaders not to make short-term job cuts, but to use AI to amplify human potential and free people for higher-value work.

Third, balance efficiency with humanity. Use AI to boost productivity but also to foster genuine human collaboration and connection. We must design systems that let that flourish.

15:58 – Lucy Adams (Host)
Absolutely — it’s about transparency, clarity and choice. People are adults — if they choose not to reskill, that’s their decision — but they need the opportunity. IKEA’s a great example: they reskilled customer service assistants for kitchen design roles using AI.

The key is avoiding the “AI equals job cuts” narrative. That immediately creates fear. If employees see thoughtful planning and alternatives, trust grows.

17:21 – David Green (Guest)
Yes, and we should note — some of those firms making AI-related redundancies may just be correcting over-hiring from the pandemic. Sometimes “AI job cuts” makes a good headline.

And, as you say, we probably need to rethink the traditional organisation chart entirely — it’s a 20th-century construct. New org designs will emerge around skills, not hierarchy.

18:40 – Lucy Adams (Host)
Agreed. And when we ask “when is the human best?”, that line will keep shifting as AI improves. We’ve all had painful chatbot experiences — but as they get smarter, they’ll increasingly complement human interaction rather than frustrate it.

19:24 – David Green (Guest)
Yes, and even years ago at IBM, early chatbots showed that employees were happy to use them for personalised information — but when it came to sensitive issues like health, they wanted a human. I think that balance will persist, even as quality improves.

20:14 – Lucy Adams (Host)
Exactly. So stepping back — how do you see AI not just as a tool, but as a genuine strategic enabler for HR?

20:50 – David Green (Guest)
HR has evolved from a support function to a strategic partner — we saw that accelerated during the pandemic. AI gives us the chance to go even further.

If we can automate most of the repetitive work while leading workforce transformation, that’s a huge opportunity.

Our research shows that companies strong in people analytics are better positioned to deploy AI effectively. Many of those analytics leaders are now co-leading HR AI strategy.

And of course, none of this works without solid data foundations. You can’t do AI without good data — it’s not glamorous, but it’s essential.

23:10 – Lucy Adams (Host)
I’m just going to pause briefly to mention our Disruptive HR Club. We’ve got thousands of members — HR professionals who want to do things differently — and this week we launched our own Disruptive AI agent, which we’re really excited about.

It’s built on all our books, toolkits and live sessions — essentially a 24/7 disruptive HR consultant.

If you’d like to check it out, visit disruptivehr.com — we’ll include links in the show notes along with David’s details and his research.

23:59
Right — let’s take a deeper dive into specific areas. First up: leadership development. How are you seeing AI change how we identify, develop and support leaders?

24:25 – David Green (Guest)
I’m not a leadership development expert, but based on what we hear from clients and guests, AI has real potential here. It can move us from rigid assessments to data-driven identification of hidden talent, personalise development journeys, and offer real-time digital coaching. That “pocket coach” idea is powerful.

25:07 – Lucy Adams (Host)
Yes, we’re seeing more companies exploring that — because traditional leadership programmes are expensive, time-consuming, and generic. If AI can provide personalised nudges and link them to real feedback data, that’s a real breakthrough.

And what about employee engagement — are you seeing AI reshape how organisations listen to their people?

25:52 – David Green (Guest)
Definitely. AI is enhancing survey analysis — using natural language processing to analyse large volumes of text, interpret sentiment, even emotional tone.

Some companies are combining survey data with collaboration data — from Teams, Slack, email, etc. — to understand what drives inclusion, burnout or innovation. Combining datasets gives insights you’d never get from one alone.

26:47 – Lucy Adams (Host)
That’s such an important point — because people are complex. Quantitative data alone doesn’t tell the story. When you combine it with qualitative insights and sentiment, you can craft a real narrative — something that actually engages leaders, not just a dull engagement report.

27:42 – David Green (Guest)
Exactly. Microsoft is a great example — they publish a lot about their employee listening work. They’ve moved from just “engagement” to “thriving” as a key measure, linking it with hybrid working patterns and performance outcomes.

It’s a contentious topic, but they’ve used data — not opinion — to guide policy on when people work best in-office or remotely.

29:18 – Lucy Adams (Host)
Yes, hybrid is such a nuanced issue. Blanket rules — “three days in, two out” — please no one. Data can help leaders make more contextual, human-centred decisions about where and how work gets done.

30:07 – Lucy Adams (Host)
So, looking at HR as a profession — with all this change, what core skills do HR professionals need to stay relevant in an AI-driven world?

30:38 – David Green (Guest)
Great question. First, AI literacy. HR professionals — in fact, all professionals — need to understand what AI is, what it can do, and where it fits.

Second, stakeholder influence. We must translate our insights into business language, showing how HR strategy drives outcomes.

Third, human-centred design. As we redesign organisations, we need to build systems people actually want to use — intuitive, personalised, seamless.

Fourth, storytelling. AI gives us data, but we need to turn that into compelling narratives.

And finally, emotional intelligence. As automation grows, empathy and connection become even more critical.

33:52 – Lucy Adams (Host)
Yes, absolutely. AI enables us to lean into our human strengths. For years we’ve talked about “human HR” — but often we’ve been policy-driven and process-heavy. This is our chance to focus on what we do best: understanding people.

34:50
And for anyone listening who feels behind — maybe they’ve barely touched ChatGPT — where should they start?

35:03 – David Green (Guest)
Individually — just start using it. Experiment, play, learn. You’ll quickly see what it can do when you use it properly — not like a search engine.

Take a free course — there are plenty out there from the big tech providers.

And at an organisational level — identify one to three people-related business priorities. Find a use case where AI could help. Start small, get a business sponsor, and iterate.

36:38 – Lucy Adams (Host)
Exactly — pick a real pain point, something relevant and visible. That’s how you’ll get traction and credibility.

We’re out of time, sadly. Where can listeners find out more about your research and work?

37:04 – David Green (Guest)
Head to insight222.com — you’ll find our research under the “What We Do” section.

37:13 – Lucy Adams (Host)
And if they want to contact you personally — LinkedIn?

37:18 – David Green (Guest)
Yes, LinkedIn’s best. I post regularly and share my Data Driven HR newsletter each month.

37:29 – Lucy Adams (Host)
Which I always read!

37:35 – David Green (Guest)
And if you like Lucy’s podcast, feel free to check out The Digital HR Leaders Podcast too.

37:48 – Lucy Adams (Host)
Yes — we’re a growing tribe of HR podcasters featuring on each other’s shows!

38:08 – Lucy Adams (Host)
David, thank you so much for being our guest today. It’s been a real pleasure.

38:16 – David Green (Guest)
It’s always a pleasure talking with you, Lucy. Thanks for inviting me.