HR Pulse

3 ways Artificial Intelligence can transform HR industry in SA

For a period of time now well known leaders, scientists and company executives have been discussing and thinking about the future of work relative to Artificial Intelligence and its impact in the job market. You would be living in some rock if you deny that the world is shifting from information to data technology specifically how everything seems to be connected to the internet and communicating with each other from smartphone, cars and airplanes.

Gone are the days where parents and grandparents would shun upon using technology products and services as today’s world their daily movement and function depend on it. However, despite the acceleration of digital technology and incoming artificial intelligence revolution, South Africa remains stuck in old traditional systems, corporate structures and policies that make it difficult to prepare and be nimble for the AI revolution that will make a global impact across borders.

Besides the external factors mentioned for the slow progress there also appears internal factors such as staff and the unemployed population fearing and complaining about how job opportunities will be endanger thus affecting the human resource departments and overall industry.

To put it in basic terms AI (artificial intelligence), according to Techopedia “emphasizes the creation of intelligent machines that work and react like humans” Many have thrown the word robots to explain it, playing a crucial part in helping and solving human complex problems. South Africa sure needs to solve its inequality and unemployment problem. According to Accenture and GIBS “AI will create a market worth over $35 billion by 2025”. The questions becomes will AI finally solve the South African human resource industry?

The current state of the human resources seems to be filled with outdated procedures and systems for recruiting, sourcing and developing employees and organizational requirements. It has gotten so worse that it has opened a market for fraudulent activities such as fake recruitment agencies promising non existent jobs and nepotism being favoured over experience and culture fit for the job market.

Many South African seem to forget that without the right tools, strategy and organizational development, the job market remains a constant leakage in supply and demand as the wrong people get put in the wrong positions which can have a detrimental effect in the ecosystem of employment where talent becomes overlooked and underpaid.

The only solution South Africa is to create a thriving ecosystem rooted in an AI vision of partnering with major stakeholders that can influence and contribute to growing to the human resource industry such as government, HR professionals, industrial psychologists and labour unions. Subsequently, to harness the impact of AI in shaping the industry, South Africa needs to embrace cognitive technologies that will build efficiency and sustainability for the HR industry.

3 ways Artificial Intelligence can transform HR industry in South Africa:

• Use computation speed to streamline the screening process, through machine learning and feedback loop
• Provide AI coaching creating user interface within organizations to interact with for on job career development and training.
• AI could could increase volume and speed for response system for candidates and staff regarding pending job application, job interview invite and staff policy documents.

The South African human resource industry future is a double sword that can either go downward or upward only if we quickly embrace AI that will ultimately unlocked previously trapped value of data in strategy, planning and operations which will enable professionals to make more informed decisions regarding job placement, talent management and organizational.