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Reflections from the YouConnect World Café: AI & HR

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HR
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly evolving and offers numerous opportunities, yet it also raises many questions. While Belgian AI start-ups are achieving international success, the impact of AI within HR teams remains limited for now.

Recently, YouConnect welcomed around fifty Legal and HR experts to explore the current state, challenges, and opportunities of AI within their organisations.

We used the World Café format for this event: an interactive method that encourages participants to exchange knowledge and ideas in small groups. The attendees were divided into Legal and HR professionals; this blog highlights the key takeaways from the HR participants.

Key challenges in integrating AI into HR

A common theme was the lack of a strategic AI vision, both across companies in general and within HR in particular. Although interest is growing and various (often isolated) initiatives have been launched, a clear and integrated approach to using AI is often missing.

Participants pointed out several obstacles:

  • Absence from the strategic agenda: AI rarely appears on the executive committee's agenda, which leads to a wait-and-see attitude throughout the organisation.
  • Limited data quality: Available HR data is often seen as unreliable or incomplete, making it a weak foundation for AI applications.
  • Too many options, too little clarity: The market is flooded with vendors offering AI tools. But which solution truly fits your organisation’s needs? And will that vendor still exist in a few years? Some organisations also hesitate to entrust sensitive HR data to external providers.

There was also a degree of caution about involving employees: engaging colleagues in discussions and brainstorms about AI can be sensitive due to the potential impact on their roles.


AI’s potential value in HR

Despite these challenges, participants saw clear potential, particularly in Recruitment & Selection, Learning & Development, and Payroll.

They drew a sharp line between tasks where AI adds value and those where it doesn’t: AI is well-suited for transactional tasks, but not for relational processes that require human empathy and connection.

While automating back-office work can increase efficiency, participants agreed that human interaction must remain central in HR. Skills like empathy and communication will only grow in importance as AI takes over repetitive tasks.

Additionally, participants emphasised that AI shouldn't merely optimise existing processes, it can also inspire entirely new ways of working. The focus should shift from “how can we make this more efficient?” to “what is the best way to achieve this goal?”


Safety and ethics

The discussions also raised some concerns:

  • Data security: The risk of data leaks and the safeguarding of corporate information remain critical issues.
  • Bias: Because Since AI is based on pattern recognition, it may unintentionally reinforce existing biases, which is both an ethical and operational risk.


An AI opportunity expert

A creative proposal from the World Café was to appoint an internal AI Opportunity Expert. In larger organisations, this could even evolve into a cross-functional AI task force.

This person or team would be responsible for:

  • Communicating the organisation’s expectations regarding AI;
  • Mapping existing AI initiatives within the company;
  • Identifying and exploring relevant opportunities;
  • Selecting and implementing tools, including due diligence and action planning.

This role should be strategically embedded within the organisation, ideally with a product owner per department. For HR, this should preferably be someone with a strong affinity for both HR and IT.

Conclusion

While AI implementation in HR is still in its early stages, the time to act is now. Companies that fail to embrace AI risk falling behind in an increasingly fast-paced world.

The World Café sparked valuable conversations and offered a strong foundation for HR leaders to pursue a smart, human-centered, and future-proof AI strategy. Participants agreed: strategic action is needed today to ensure sustainable integration of AI into tomorrow’s HR landscape.

Authored by Birgit De Smedt - 11 Mar 2025

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