At SHRMIAC’24, HR leaders gathered to discuss the latest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it’s transforming employee engagement. Moderated by Smiti Bhatt Deorah, co-founder, AdvantageClub.ai, the panel featured C Jayakumar, CHRO, Larsen & Toubro, Dilip Pattanayak, president and CHRO, JSW, and Rohit Vishal, CHRO, Varun Beverages. Together, they embarked on a journey into how AI is reshaping the workplace—personalising experiences, enhancing feedback, and transforming how HR approaches talent management.
A personal touch through AI
C Jayakumar was the first to dive into the profound ways AI is personalising HR interactions, starting with recruitment. He recalled a time when rejection letters were cold and impersonal, mere formalities sent out en masse. “AI has changed that,” he said. Now, even regret letters feel thoughtful, acknowledging the specific journey of each candidate. It was a small but powerful shift, turning an often painful process into a more empathetic experience.
But the real magic, Jayakumar noted, happens with feedback. AI has moved beyond simply assigning a number to a performance review—3.8 for leadership or 4.5 for collaboration—metrics that, while informative, rarely tell the full story. “Today, AI generates detailed, personalised feedback reports that dive into the nuances of an employee’s work patterns, offering specific advice for improvement,” he explained. For employees, it feels more like a conversation than a scorecard. This shift, Jayakumar argued, was key to deepening engagement and fostering a sense of value within the workforce.
Safety and retention in the AI era
Dilip Pattanayak’s experience in the manufacturing sector brought a different perspective. At JSW, AI is being used to ensure safety and, surprisingly, improve retention. He shared a compelling example of how a generative AI chatbot is helping employees access safety protocols in real-time, in multiple languages, right from their mobile phones. “Even our contract workers can access this information, making safety training far more inclusive,” he said.
But safety wasn’t the only area where AI was making a difference. Pattanayak revealed that AI’s predictive capabilities are now being harnessed to assess the likelihood of employee attrition. Although the current success rate hovers around 25 per cent, it was a promising start. “We’re learning, improving,” Pattanayak acknowledged, before adding that AI alone can’t solve the problem. “The algorithm can predict who might leave, but it’s up to us, as human leaders, to step in and address the real issues.”
Learning, development, and the future of growth
Rohit Vishal of Varun Beverages took the conversation into the realm of learning and development (L&D), where AI is opening doors to tailored training programs that previously would have been unimaginable. “AI understands learning styles, career aspirations, and even skill gaps, offering customised training in a way that feels intuitive and personalised,” Vishal explained.
No longer do employees have to follow the same, one-size-fits-all career path. With AI, the learning experience is unique to each individual, offering tailored courses and projects that align with personal career goals. “It’s not just about employee satisfaction; it’s about retention,” Vishal emphasised. When employees see their company investing in their growth, they feel more valued—and are more likely to stay.
Insights uncovered by AI
As the conversation turned back to Jayakumar, he highlighted one of AI’s most powerful abilities: uncovering patterns and insights that are invisible to the human eye. By aggregating data from across HR systems, AI reveals deep correlations—like how employee engagement might directly influence productivity or predict the success of an engagement initiative. “This is where AI shines,” he said. “It gives us the information we need to make smarter, more informed decisions.”
These insights are proving invaluable, especially in managing today’s multi-generational workforce. Baby Boomers, Millennials, and Gen Z employees often have different needs and expectations, but AI can segment these groups, offering personalised experiences that resonate with each. “It’s about inclusion—making sure everyone feels understood, no matter where they are in their career journey,” Vishal added.
Balancing AI and the human touch
As the panel drew to a close, a theme emerged: AI is a powerful tool, but it cannot replace human intuition. Pattanayak was candid about AI’s limitations. Predictive models, while helpful, are still in their infancy and need time to mature. But the future is promising. As these models gather more data, their predictions will only become more accurate.
Deorah wrapped up the discussion with a reminder that AI is not about replacing human jobs; it’s about enhancing them. “AI can take care of repetitive tasks and generate insights, but it can’t build relationships or understand the nuances of human motivation,” she said. “That’s still where we, as HR leaders, come in. The key is to use AI as a partner, amplifying our human capabilities.”