In an effort to reassure the more than 450 senior HR executives who attended the recently held Irresistible 2023 global conference for HR leaders in Los Angeles, global HR analyst Josh Bersin found himself explaining what generative artificial intelligence can do for them and the various ways the technology will make their jobs easier.
Bersin, CEO of The Josh Bersin Company; Tracey Franklin, CHRO at Moderna; and Michael Fraccaro, chief people officer at Mastercard, fielded questions from journalists about their experiences using AI tools and their expectations of how their companies will use generative AI to meet their business needs.
Describing attendees as “worried” about predictions that generative AI will replace jobs, Bersin said so far, the AI tools used in HR technology have turned out to be a game changer that have identified skills faster, improved recruiting and training processes, and enhanced talent mobility efforts.
However, while there are huge benefits for companies that use the technology, Bersin said many C-suite executives will see generative AI as an excuse to lay off employees. “Of course companies are going to try to eliminate jobs with AI. Every time there’s a new technology, that’s the first thing the CFO wants to do,” he said.
