Artificial intelligence (AI) is overhauling traditional human resources (HR). HR leaders are using to to screen applications, track employee engagement, answer questions about benefits and much more.
Recently, Ivory Harris, senior vice president, chief human resources officer for AGCO, a global leader in agricultural machinery and precision ag technology, shared the story of AGCO's use of AI in HR with HR Exchange Network (HREN).
HREN: You have automated 60 percent of HR tools. What does that entail? What has been automated?
IH: Automating many of our HR tools has been transformative for AGCO because we now use AI across the full employee lifecycle to attract, engage and grow talent.
In talent acquisition, AI streamlines repetitive tasks like resume screening and candidate communications, freeing up our teams to focus on building meaningful relationships, assessing cultural fit and crafting compelling candidate experiences.
In employee engagement, Barny, our AI-powered onboarding tool, connects new employees with others across the business as they begin their journey with AGCO, while Maizy, our 24/7 AI assistant, responds to HR queries instantly. We use AI to aggregate sentiment data in VOICES, our employee feedback survey, giving us real-time insights into how our people are feeling. In learning and development, Nadia, our AI-powered coaching platform, consolidates advice from multiple platforms, allowing not only employees to seek guidance and advice, but also enabling leaders to interact and coach their teams through critical topics such as change and performance. And finally, LinkedIn Learning, with more than 21,000 courses, automates course recommendations and coaching to match individual goals and learning styles, putting career growth firmly into our employees’ hands.
But let’s remember not everything can – or should – be automated. AI tools certainly enhance our efficiency and accuracy but also allow our HR teams to focus on areas where nuance really matters and human connection and insight are irreplaceable. Those include sensitive employee relations matters, leadership coaching conversations and strategic workforce planning.
HREN: What problem did AI solve for you?
IH: The two biggest gifts AI gives us are time and insights. AI-powered tools allow us to automate routine queries, efficiently route HR tickets and extract meaningful insights from feedback surveys in real time, freeing up our HR teams to focus on core, strategic work that will help drive our success.
For example, in talent acquisition, AI has significantly cut our time-to-hire by up to 45 percent through automated resume screening and video interviews. In addition, Maizy has streamlined routine tasks such as approval processes, data entry and report generation, reducing time required from days to mere minutes.
In terms of insights, AI connects the dots between disparate data sources, revealing themes and trends that allow us to make better, faster decisions. For instance, using AI to analyze daily building occupancy – rather than manually sifting through data downloads – led to a strategic decision regarding parking needs to support our hybrid workforce.
HREN: What is the reaction of employees and/or candidates? Is it positive? Negative? Why do you think they've had this reaction?
IH: When we look at adoption rates of AI tools at AGCO, we see a willingness from employees to use AI in their daily work and also as a tool to build their skills.
For example, more than 27 percent of employees use our recently introduced AI-powered coaching platform Nadia and almost 30 percent of employees are using LinkedIn Learning, with nearly 300,000 auto-recommended digital learnings completed in our first year with this strategy. Based on these metrics, we anticipate rapid growth over the next few years.
Ultimately, this positive reaction is shaped by two things: Trust and transparency. We’ve been clear that AI is here to enhance human connection, not replace it. And we’ve built in listening tools to ensure we’re hearing what our people need. We are also careful to measure the actual impact of AI across our HR function, rather than adoption alone. This guides us in our decision-making process of where and how to incorporate additional uses of AI.
HREN: Some people are reluctant to turn to AI in HR or other parts of business. What made you go for it?
IH: In my opinion, the main reason people hesitate when it comes to AI is because of the fear that they’ll become obsolete. And that just isn’t the case. We’re talking about evolution, not extinction.
Our goal is for everyone to use AI as a partner in his or her daily work, unlocking new efficiencies, delivering faster answers and staying ahead in a rapidly changing world – whether as a direct use tool or embedded in the tools they rely on daily. We’re building the expectation that AI will one day become as natural as email. Turning away from it would mean ignoring the substantial impact this can have on solving problems and creating solutions for farmers and the future of agriculture. We’d rather lead the change than risk being left behind.
Of course, we understand that hesitation often comes from concerns over data privacy. That’s why we’ve embedded responsible AI principles into our culture, backed by strong governance, ethical standards and validation. For us, innovation and responsibility go hand in hand, and that’s how we ensure AI delivers lasting value for our people and our business.
HREN: What do you expect for AI in HR in the future?
IH: For us at AGCO, AI is a key enabler in how we will grow and support our farmers into the future. By weaving AI into our ecosystem, whether from customer service chatbots that aim to resolve 60 percent of dealer questions instantly, to smart manufacturing tools that cut process time by 35 percent, we empower every AGCO employee to become an innovator and problem-solver.
I believe the future will move from AI-automated to AI-augmented and, finally, to AI-powered. We can use AI to improve decision-making by surfacing patterns and trends that might be missed manually. For example, predictive analytics tools can flag potential attrition risks by analyzing a combination of factors – such as declining sentiment in employee feedback surveys, reduced participation in development programs and increased ticket activity in HR systems. This enables leaders to forecast team risks and intervene early – which has a direct implication for key customer experience triggers: quality, market insights, team skills/insights and stable customer connection, etc.
As AI tools become more available and advanced, we will continue to look at ways to incorporate them effectively into our HR function.
HREN: What does this mean for the role of humans in HR?
IH: Anything that requires trust, requires a human – and I believe that will not change. AI isn’t replacing the human touch; it’s amplifying it. Our role is to balance the relationship between AI and HI (human intelligence). With AI handling the routine tasks, we as HR professionals can focus on what truly drives impact: Coaching leaders, building culture, solving complex problems and creating moments that matter for employees.
This is a great reminder that, while AI may be the accelerant, empathy, judgement and connection remain at the center.
HREN: What are some of the guardrails that are in place?
IH: Alongside the usual technical guardrails, such as such as data encryption, access controls and cybersecurity protections, we focus on protecting what matters most: trust and transparency. We apply a “just because we can, doesn’t mean we should” lens when it comes to launching new AI tools. We are dedicated to using automation where it adds value, not where it risks the trust of our teams.
We recognize biases from those who have created AI tools and algorithms can inadvertently seep into the AI itself. Therefore, proactively identify, audit and mitigate those biases to ensure fairness and equity. In addition, with AI comes the issue of privacy. At AGCO, we are transparent with our employees and openly communicate how their data will be used when interacting with the AI tools we’ve implemented. We’re currently looking at establishing an AI Council to help us govern all of this.
Ultimately, we have invested in many tools to give every single employee access to some level of AI (direct use or integrated) – and we want them all to feel confident and empowered using it as a partner, not a threat.