As artificial intelligence continues its rapid advancement and becomes the much touted focus for investment and development, we highlight the critical role of the people profession and explain how the CIPD and its members will be involved shaping its impact at work
Artificial intelligence (AI) and its application for everyday as well as business use have grown dramatically in the past few years. Apart from within tools like ChatGPT which have received much attention and uptake, AI-capability is being integrated into an expanding range of digital applications as technology evolves. As high-profile companies engage in what could be seen as an AI arms race, we are coming to a point where AI use may become so significant that workforces and workplaces must be rewired to meet the challenges and capture the opportunities that AI brings.
For its part, the UK Government has declared its high ambitions, announcing at the very start of 2025 its AI Opportunities Action Plan, aimed at ramping up AI adoption “to boost economic growth, provide jobs for the future and improve people’s everyday lives”.
An organisation’s ability to navigate this landscape and to take a considered, responsible approach to AI adoption will hinge on the experts in people, work and change – the people profession. People professionals will need to leverage their knowledge and experience on aspects of training, job design, workforce planning and organisational change among other things to guide and equip their organisations in the endeavour.
The profession should be at the forefront of discussions about AI implementation in their organisations. Employers and their HR teams should introduce clear guidance covering the ethical and responsible use of AI at work, data security and fair treatment of people. They should foster a culture of cross-team collaboration, and help employees develop their skills or reskill as necessary to ensure no-one gets left behind as AI transforms workplaces and careers.
The wide-reaching integration and impact of AI technology also risks a modern day 'Wild West' where unprincipled actors and unregulated actions can lead to undesirable outcomes, some of which may not have even been intended or anticipated. This not only underscores the importance of establishing clear, ethical HR policies for AI use within organisations, but also the urgency for safeguards, fair regulation and good governance. Policy-makers around the world are recognising this and are swiftly mobilising to come to consensus. The CIPD, championing better work and working lives on behalf of the profession, will be playing an active and ongoing role in the dialogue.
Over the course of 2025, the CIPD will be running a range of engagement activities to build a deeper understanding of the organisational development implications of using AI. By creating spaces to discuss and reflect together we aim to inform the public debate and raise awareness on how people professionals can support organisations in their AI journeys. This will also provide members with more confidence about meeting the technology and people core standard on the CIPD Profession Map.
The CIPD is a partner on a project funded by Innovate UK’s government-backed BridgeAI programme to help businesses in high growth potential sectors harness the power of AI. We will be working in conjunction with the Institute for the Future of Work (IFOW) who have a strong track record delivering HRM and AI governance policy research. As part of this work, we’d like to engage with members over the course of the year to test and refine responsible use of AI guidance and AI skills frameworks. The project is divided into three workstreams:
For the first workstream, the CIPD is offering an exclusive opportunity for eight organisations of different sizes, industries and digital maturities to take part in the research. Qualifying organisations should be considering, implementing or already using AI in the people team or in other parts of the organisation.
The research will involve interviews with senior leaders, employee surveys and action planning workshops, and will be tailored according to your organisation’s stage of AI implementation. By taking part, you can help expand your organisation’s capabilities on AI governance and get ahead by exploring AI adoption in a safe space. You’ll also be able to raise your profile and showcase your organisation’s approach and learning on the CIPD’s range of channels.
To find out more, please get in touch with CIPD Senior Policy and Practice Adviser – Technology Hayfa Mohdzaini at research@cipd.co.uk.
We’re currently working with BridgeAI partners including The Alan Turing Institute to scope and plan engagement with the wider CIPD membership for the other two workstreams. Keep an eye out for opportunities to get involved in discussions and on reviewing guidance and frameworks in the coming months.
Another space where members can get involved at any time is on the CIPD Community site. We have a dedicated AI in the workplace forum where you can post questions, reply and also subscribe to interesting discussions. Further, we have other related forums including HR software and data protection, privacy and GDPR. To navigate to the CIPD Community from the cipd.org website, click on ‘Get involved’ and select ‘Join our online community’ from the dropdown menu.
Finally, we officially announce and welcome our AI advisory group who has kindly agreed to be our sounding board for our AI content plans for members. This advisory group brings a broad range of expertise from across the profession as well as legal and AI ethics experience:
We are looking forward to working with our advisory group and our members in an area that will have such vital and far-reaching impact.
Hayfa joined us in 2020. Hayfa has degrees in computer science and human resources from University of York and University of Warwick respectively.
She started her career in the private sector working in IT and then HR and has been writing for the HR community since 2012. Previously she worked for another membership organisation (UCEA) where she expanded the range of pay and workforce benchmarking data available to the higher education HR community.
She is interested in how the people profession can contribute to good work through technology and has written several publications on our behalf, as well as judging our people management awards, speaking at conferences and exhibitions and providing commentary to the media on the subjects of people and technology.
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