What HR needs to do to get ahead of AI

Let's be honest - if you want to shape the impact of AI on your organization, you can’t afford to wait for a roadmap handed down from above. You need to dig in, get curious, and truly understand how AI is emerging in your business. 

Right now, leadership means recognizing that AI is already woven into your organization’s daily reality (often under the radar) and it’s on you, as an HR practitioner, to step up and shape how it’s used. Only when you know what’s actually happening in real-life workflows can you lead the conversation, set smart guardrails, and turn AI from a source of anxiety into a proven driver of performance. 

As an HR leader, you have a unique opportunity to ensure that AI becomes a trusted part of your culture, not a hidden risk. 

Right now, people across your business are quietly testing AI tools, crafting their own prompts, and automating repetitive tasks - often well ahead of any formal guidance. While this grassroots innovation can unlock new efficiency and relieve pressure on exhausted teams, the lack of oversight opens the door to risks like data leaks, inconsistent practices, and hidden compliance issues.  

HR needs to harness the upside while actively protecting your organization from the downside. The question is, do you truly understand how, where, and why these tools are being adopted on the ground? Don’t wait to be surprised. Take an active role in mapping out the current landscape so you can set purposeful direction, mitigate risks, and turn emerging AI habits into long-term productivity and performance. 

Four steps towards managing AI in your organization
 

1. Find out what is happening 

Start with honest discovery. Make time to connect with your teams and ask what AI tools they’re already experimenting with, and why. This is worth doing even if you have a 'no AI mandate' in place - call it an AI amnesty if you need to. By creating an inventory, you also open the doors to a conversation about the real impact, good and bad, that these tools are having on your people and processes. Providing you with the insight needed to steer AI adoption in a way that boosts ROI, supports your people, and helps reduce burnout instead of adding to it. 

2. Lead by example 

As an HR leader, you need to champion AI adoption by experimenting with its part of your own workflow first. Don’t wait for permission or perfection - dive in and use AI to streamline your admin tasks and tackle real pain points. Exploring the technology yourself helps you build confidence and gain practical insights into its value and limitations. But for HR leaders, this hands-on experience is even more critical. Because you sit at the intersection of people, policy, and legal considerations, your experience will have a greater impact on defining the 'right' way to integrate these tools. Taking visible, informed leadership on AI gives you a stronger position to advocate from for ethics, safety and governance. 

3. Encourage peer-to-peer learning 

The most effective AI education isn’t top-down, it’s peer-driven. Research from McKinsey shows that learning is far more effective when it’s reinforced through peer interaction and real-world application, rather than delivered in isolation. True learning happens when people share practical insights from their own workflows, opening honest conversations about what works and what doesn’t. And even better, it encourages a culture of best practice that can help mitigate risks early on. Champion regular forums or drop-in sessions where teams can swap tips and troubleshoot challenges together, without fear of judgment. By creating open dialogue, you’ll build trust, reinforce a culture of connection, and empower employees to drive adoption that actually sticks. 

4. Set boundaries before someone else does 

As an HR leader, you can’t leave security and compliance to chance. Not every AI tool will meet your organization’s standards by default, so it’s important to proactively define what responsible use looks like. Work shoulder-to-shoulder with IT and compliance to set clear, practical guidelines that safeguard data and protect your people. Then, communicate these boundaries and set deadlines to revisit them as the landscape evolves. When teams know exactly where the lines are, they can innovate confidently, experiment safely, and help you turn AI from a risk into a genuine driver of performance. 

Putting people at the heart of performance with AI
 

When your teams watch you, as an HR leader, experiment openly and safely, they may start to see AI as less of a threat and more of an opportunity. Your visible engagement signals that learning new technology is not just allowed, but encouraged. This builds trust across the organization and helps people reframe AI as an essential skill that can drive personal growth, team performance, and long-term career resilience. 

At Thomas, we believe that the true power of AI lies in its ability to strengthen, not replace, human relationships. When you choose solutions (like our award-winning AI coach, Thom) built on ethical AI principles that prioritize secure, intuitive design and support genuine connection, you equip managers to make smarter decisions, boost retention, and drive lasting performance gains across your teams. 

So, what are your next steps? Don’t wait for a perfect roadmap. Make it your mission to ask questions this week, explore new tools alongside your teams, and champion a culture where learning and adaptability drive performance. By doing so, you’ll set the tone for safe, responsible innovation. And help your people thrive as your organization moves forward in the era of AI.