AI has joined the workforce, not as a tool—but as a permanent employee. Unlike human workers, AI doesn’t take breaks, demand raises, or hand in resignation letters. But here’s the real kicker: you can’t fire it either.
When we think of AI in HR, we normally talk about efficiency, automation, and better decision-making. AI-powered systems speed up recruitment, optimize performance tracking, and even analyse employee engagement. The benefits are undeniable. But no one is asking the most important question: what happens when AI becomes too deeply embedded to be removed?
A company implements an AI-powered recruitment system that screens thousands of resumes per day. At first, it’s a game-changer—eliminating hiring bias, streamlining shortlists, and making hiring faster. But over time, hiring managers become so reliant on it that they lose the ability to evaluate candidates through human insight.
Most discussions about AI in the workplace focus on job loss – the fear that AI will replace human workers. But the real risk is AI dependency—a scenario where companies can’t function without it. AI doesn’t just automate processes; it redefines how work is done to the point that humans forget how they did it before.
- Performance Reviews: AI systems track staff productivity, identifying inefficiencies and forecasting performance concerns. But what happens when we remove human intuition from the equation? Employees become numbers in a dataset, rated not on potential or leadership abilities, but on trends in their work habits.
- Hiring Decisions: AI-driven hiring models are built on historical data, meaning they can unconsciously replicate biases rather than eliminate them. If past hiring favoured a certain group, AI would continue that trend. Without human oversight, companies risk reinforcing bias under the illusion of fairness.
- Workplace Culture and Well-being: Employee engagement chatbots check in with employees, assess morale, and even offer interventions. But can a chatbot really replace human interaction? Does AI grasp the nuances of leadership, empathy, and trust? What happens to corporate culture if employees begin to engage with AI rather than with their managers?
Once AI takes over core business processes, reversing course is nearly impossible. AI isn’t just another workforce addition—it’s an employee that, once onboarded, never leaves.
The question is:
Human Oversight is Critical – AI should aid, not dictate, decision-making. Leaders must dispute AI-driven insights and maintain ultimate responsibility for recruiting, performance reviews, and workforce strategy.
Business continuity planning is necessary in the event that AI systems fail, become obsolete, or become unproductive. Could your HR team continue to work effectively if AI were removed tomorrow?
Ethical AI Guidelines – AI should improve, not replace, human decision-making. There must be explicit regulations in place to ensure that AI aligns with company values, diversity efforts, and ethical hiring practices.
AI is here to stay, and HR will never be the same. But who’s really making the decisions—your leadership team, or the algorithms working behind the scenes? It’s time to rethink AI’s role before it becomes irreversible.
