How exactly can HR use open-sourced AI?

As a people and culture leader interested in HR tech, Craig Thomas appreciates the power and potential of open-sourced AI.

But will tools such as ChatGPT or Google’s Bard replace human resources professionals? That’s scaremongering or ill-informed, he says, “because the replacement of the human element, we're not yet there in terms of the technology.”

At this point, Thomas — manager of human resource, employee relations and recruitment at the Federation of African Canadian Economics (FACE) — says he is exploring the technology personally and professionally, but not using it yet from an organizational perspective.

“My organization currently has not engaged in any introductory conversations around in it. But speaking to other colleagues of mine, I've seen how they have used it to make their job more efficient. And I've seen all the different platforms have seamlessly integrated some aspects of a Chat GPT or generative AI in their platforms.

“Until there's more data that we can use as a confirmation that it is good, it is reliable, we are erring on the side of caution.”

Similar sentiments are expressed by Nayara Lima, human resources manager at the Center for Aquaculture Technologies in Charlottetown, P.E.I, who doesn’t use the technology in her everyday work but is exploring it.

“It's great for brainstorming, but not [to use] on a daily basis,” she says. “I think we need to use it more to be more familiar with it, and then learn, ‘OK, so we input this, this is going to be the output.’ But to be completely honest, if I'm spending that much time trying to get an output, I might as well just write what I was thinking. So I think it really depends on what you’re using it for.”

What we are seeing now is the very early stages of this technology, says Anil Verma, professor emeritus of industrial relations and HR management at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

“Six months from now, or a year from now, there will be new and improved capability. And I'm certainly advocating to all my students, who are all starting to get MBAs and master’s degrees, I am saying to them ‘Look, this is a tool that all your coworkers and competitors will be using, so the more you use it, the more skillful you become at using it, the better for your careers.’

“It cannot be wished away or denied, so let's get on with it, let's get on with using it.”

How ChatGPT can help HR

So what are some of the ways that HR professionals can use the shiny new tech?

For one, it can synthesize information that could help with policies and practices, says Dave Ullrich, Rensis Likert Professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.

“It is like having access to a literature review or background information, like a tailored Wikipedia, to questions like: ‘What have been norms around benefits, compensation, hiring, training, or other HR practice areas?’”

These tools are really about generating content, so they can assist HR in providing a framework, says Thomas.

For example, in developing a request for proposal, ChatGPT may provide an outline in a “modern or more user-friendly” way, and “reframe the narrative somewhat,” he says. Or it can generate new job descriptions “because it is current and it looks at the marketplace, and it would add additional skill sets that you may not have thought about.”

“It provides you with some context, and it should be looked at in that respect, and not looked at as the alternative to human intervention.”

The AI can also be very impactful in the area of employee surveys. While FACE has been using generic surveys with templates. ChatGPT can provide “a succinct set of parameters or questions that you can ask that you never thought about. Yes, you can include the traditional questions, but it provides you with a better, more modern type of language that will appeal to the employee,” says Thomas.

And if you want to place focus on a particular area, such as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), the tool helps you to reframe the language as the DEI space changes, he says.

Another possible area? Performance management. The tool could provide a script for managers to better do appraisals, he says.

Then there’s employee communications. Looking to send out a message about International Women’s Day, Thomas says a tool like ChatGPT can provide a short, impactful message from HR.

Canadian HR Reporter recently spoke with three employment lawyers about the need for a policy around tools such as ChatGPT or Bard.

Another option for HR? Outplacement services, says Verma.

“Some of these technologies can do a very quick review of what's available in the job market, what types of skills have people been looking for, and so it might be a tool that you could use in outplacement… your employees that were being laid off could use that information to see if, with some additional training, they could qualify for those jobs.”

The tools also provide lots of flexibility, he says, so if HR is looking for more friendly or less formal language, that’s also possible.

“You can specify style, you can say, ‘in a formal style, in a legal standard, informal style.’ It knows writing style so as a writing tool, it’s absolutely unbeatable.”

Lima says she sees that potential with, for example, an employee of the month writeup.

“Maybe it's a little bit easier, if you put a couple [of bits of] information from them, and then, boom, you have your profile for the month. So [before] you’re probably going to spend 15 minutes writing but in 30 seconds, it's ready to go.”

The same efficiency could be seen around content for training or interview questions, she says.

“If you're interviewing somebody for the first time and you don't really know what questions to ask, it might be a good start… For little things like that, I think we could probably use it.”

Many companies will already have templates for HR tasks such as welcome emails, but open-sourced AI could provide others with a place to start, says Lima.

“I think it's a good baseline, something to start with. And then [with] your experience and what the company is going through, you can probably personalize it a little bit better.”

One recent survey found that 49 per cent of employers are using the tech innovation — for tasks such as job descriptions, writing code and research — while another 30 per cent plan to do so.

Limitations to open-sourced AI

That’s not to say there aren’t limitations — and there are plenty to consider given the infancy of these tools.

For Lima, every time she’s tried the tool, she’s had “to change it or modify it or make it more personable,” she says.

“Sometimes with the answers, I feel like it's very formal, not personable at all. So I do make those adjustments.”

And for tasks that require more specifics, such as job descriptions, Lima is not sure she trusts the technology.

“It's the most important thing for the new hire, or even people who are new to those positions, so they need to know exactly what they're getting into, and I think ChatGPT is more general.”

When it comes to ChatGPT, employers should be prepared for how it will change the way that we do business on a number of fronts,” says another expert speaking to Canadian HR Reporter.

While it’s always exciting to see AI tools evolve, at this point, they rely on accessing information that exists — more than creating new information, says Ullrich, who is also a partner at the consulting firm RBL Group.

“For example, in defining competencies, this tool will be able to synthesize what others have done with competencies for a particular role (for examples, sales, manufacturing, IT, etcetera), but it cannot easily anticipate what the future requirements might be that will lead to new competencies.”

With any new tool, it is useful to experiment and find out how it helps with specific questions. For example, someone wanting to improve employee morale through a survey could ask ChatGPT “What are the drivers of employee engagement?” he says.

“The response would likely be a summary of this work. But, the specific requirements of employee engagement in an organization may be unique and focused on the future, not the past — ChatGPT summarizes ideas, more than thought leadership.”

Any tool that helps business and HR leaders access information can be helpful, says Ullrich, and Google searches save huge amounts of time sourcing information.  

“But, becoming overly reliant on discovering and replicating what others have done — versus creating what is right for your organization — leads to false hope because the future may not be the past.”

In the immediate term, these tools will make jobs easier, because they can do very simple tasks, but also make jobs more demanding, says Verma.

For example, if you are writing a letter to a job applicant to tell them you can’t proceed with the application, ChatGPT would do it in under a minute, with the right prompts.

That’s where the skill comes in, he says.

“There has to be a human being doing it. Because ChatGPT doesn't have a soul and doesn't have values and it doesn't know when it's saying something awkward or rude, or something insensitive,” says Verma.

“It makes your job a little easier at the low end of have the skills required, but it makes it more demanding at the other end of your skill scale.”