IBM Just Replaced Hundreds of HR Jobs with AI. Here’s What That Really Means.

In a recent interview, IBM’s CEO confirmed what many of us in HR have been

sensing. AI has already started replacing HR roles. Hundreds of them.

Tasks like job verification, document preparation and basic workforce management are no longer handled by people. They’ve been quietly automated, often without much fanfare.

And it’s not just IBM. This shift is already happening across industries.

AI and HR: What’s Safe, What’s Slipping and What’s Already Gone

AI isn’t replacing entire HR jobs all at once. Instead, it’s replacing them task by task. And it’s starting with the work that often gets overlooked.

Tasks Already Being Automated

These are the repetitive, rules-based tasks that AI handles with ease. Many are already being taken over by applicant tracking systems, chatbots and HRIS platforms:

• Resume screening

• Interview scheduling

• Offer letter generation

• Distributing onboarding forms

• Responding to FAQs and common policy questions

• Tracking time off

• Verifying employment

• Sharing and tracking policies

• Sending surveys and compiling results

If your team is still doing these manually, it may be time to rethink how that work gets done.

Tasks That Are Still Human, But Not for Long

These tasks still require some nuance, but AI is catching up quickly:

• Drafting policies and handbooks

• Creating job descriptions from templates

• Analyzing turnover or compensation trends

• Designing learning paths and curating training content

• Conducting reference checks

• Summarizing survey insights

• Writing internal HR communications

• Building SOPs and compliance checklists

• Assigning onboarding workflows

These may still need a human touch today, but AI is learning fast. Expect these areas to become AI-supported and, eventually, AI-managed.

Tasks That Still Need a Human

Some responsibilities go beyond automation. They require trust, emotional intelligence and an understanding of context that AI cannot replicate:

• Leading investigations

• Coaching managers and employees through challenges

• Resolving interpersonal conflicts

• Facilitating live DEI conversations

• Delivering difficult news and supporting employees through crisis

• Making executive hiring decisions

• Navigating board and union dynamics

• Designing people strategy

• Handling sensitive disclosures about health, identity or trauma

These are moments that matter. They are where HR delivers its greatest value.

What Can HR Leaders Do Right Now?

The rise of AI in HR is not a future concern. It is already here, and it is changing the structure of our work.

But this shift also creates opportunity. As automation handles more administrative work, HR can step more fully into its role as a strategic leader.

Here are four steps to take now:

1. Break Your HR Work Down by Task

Forget job titles for a moment. Look at what your team actually does, task by task.

Ask yourself:

• Which tasks are high-volume, rules-based or templated?

• Which ones require good judgment, trust or cultural awareness?

• Where are we spending time that adds little strategic value?

This kind of task-level clarity is the first step in deciding what to automate, what to redesign and what to prioritize for human focus.

2. Automate With Intention

Adopting new tools without a clear strategy can create more confusion than clarity. Start by automating low-risk tasks that drain time but do not require human expertise, such as:

• Interview scheduling

• Responding to common HR questions

• Tracking vacation or sick time

• Distributing surveys

Choose systems that integrate smoothly with your current tools and free up your team to focus on higher-value work.

3. Reskill Your HR Team

If your team is focused primarily on coordination or compliance, now is the time to build capability in more strategic areas.

Invest in:

• Coaching skills for supporting managers and employees

• Data literacy to translate analytics into action

• Facilitation and change management for DEI, restructuring and performance strategy

• Ethics and governance training to support responsible AI adoption

These are not optional. They are essential to the future of the HR profession.

4. Focus on the Work Only Humans Can Do

As automation takes over transactional tasks, HR’s value will lie in areas that require empathy, perspective and trust.

Refocus your team on:

• Resolving conflict

• Building cultural alignment

• Creating psychological safety

• Supporting workforce resilience

• Advising executives on people strategy

These areas are where HR can shine, and where AI cannot compete.

This is not just about surviving the rise of AI. It is about redefining what HR can be.

If you’re ready to explore how your HR function can adapt and lead through this shift, we can help. Reach out to schedule a consultation and let’s build a future-ready HR strategy together.