By Maggie Mancini
Agentic AI has emerged as a game changer for business, with 82% of leaders agreeing their industry's competitive landscape will look different in the next two years, according to research from KPMG. While AI literacy and skill gaps remain key barriers to effective use of AI in HR, the technology is empowering HR to shift from transactional tasks to more strategic and human-centered work, says Amy Mosher, chief people officer at isolved.
Her organization has seen major benefits in its ability to proactively identify and act on workforce needs such as flagging engagement risks, suggesting personalized learning paths, or optimizing scheduling in real time.
"It doesn't just provide insights; it initiates next steps, helping HR teams scale their impact," Mosher says. "However, like any powerful tool, Agentic AI needs to be deployed responsibly. One of the biggest risks is overreliance, where decisions are delegated entirely to AI without human oversight. That's why isolved developed a robust ethics policy, which ensures AI supports, but doesn't replace, human judgment."
Augmented intelligence—or using AI to enhance human decision-making—is the foundation of isolved's AI strategy. The company pilots AI applications internally before releasing them to its customers and focuses on the key principles of its ethics policy: transparency, accountability, and privacy, Mosher says.
"Our internal teams use AI to personalize learning recommendations and streamline onboarding, leading to faster time-to-productivity and stronger engagement scores," Mosher explains. "It's a win-win. Our people feel supported, and our HR team can focus more on culture and connection."
Agentic AI can help HR teams work smarter by automating repetitive tasks and supporting faster decision-making, explains Nita Nambiar, chief people officer at Hexaware. "I've found that it takes more opportunities for people to focus on alternative tasks that need human oversight rather than spending time on tasks that can easily be automated," she says.
"Agentic AI will reshape how HR operates by handling more administrative tasks and enabling more proactive, personalized support. This shift allows HR professionals to focus on culture, leadership development, and long-term strategy."
Still, it's important to implement AI gradually and with proper oversight to avoid the real risk of reinforcing bias or creating a disconnect between people and processes, Nambiar says. Hexaware’s approach to AI is centered on people and purpose, Nambiar says. The company has implemented AI tools like tensai GPT to enhance engagement and productivity and has made sure to include employees in the development and use of these tools along the way.
"Agentic AI will reshape how HR operates by handling more administrative tasks and enabling more proactive, personalized support. This shift allows HR professionals to focus on culture, leadership development, and long-term strategy," Nambiar explains. "However, fully integrating Agentic AI will be a gradual process, and it's important to avoid bias and make sure our values align with these new tools."
For Cheryl Yuran, chief human resources officer at Absorb, AI offers tremendous potential to help HR organizations scale effectively and address previously underserved areas. "Taking learning as an illustrative example, AI unlocks scalable personalization opportunities that were previously impractical,"Yuran says.
This personalization can manifest in three distinct ways:
it can identify individual learning needs by assessing specific skill gaps and personal learning objectives;
it allows organizations to create customized learning content tailored to an individual's requirements to ensure content relevant and engagement; and
it delivers content in multiple modalities to meet learners where and how they prefer to engage.
"People leaders' live interactions with team members help reinforce the company culture and make people feel connected to the human aspect of organizations, especially in a remote environment," Yuran says. "Taken too far, AI can cause the employer-employee relationship to feel very transactional and remove the human aspects that drive engagement."
While tools like Agentic AI are reshaping the HR landscape, their high costs often put them out of reach for small- to mid-sized companies, Yuran adds. Large enterprises may realize a strong ROI for these investments, but leaner teams often struggle to justify the expense. For growing organizations who are scaling, AI can be a force multiplier, augmenting human capacity and enabling teams to focus on value-driving initiatives.
"Agentic AI is redefining what is possible for HR," Mosher says. "Instead of just managing processes, HR can now anticipate needs and shape experiences in real time. This positions HR as a true business driver, one that's predictive, personalized, and continuously improving."
When it comes to deploying AI in a way that's focused on enhancing intelligence rather than replacing human decision-making, here are some key things for HR leaders to consider.
Start with clear goals and involve people in the process early on. "Understanding the specific problem that AI is supposed to solve and ensuring the technology supports the company's values and overall people strategy is paramount," Nambiar says. "Engaging leadership early on is also key, so there's a shared understanding of the potential benefits and risks of introducing tools like AI."
Ensure ethical oversight. Have an AI ethics policy in place that guides development and deployment, Mosher says.
Have a strong, data-centric foundation in place so AI can function properly. "AI cannot screen candidates or recommend development paths if HR leaders haven't developed a robust job or candidate profile, nor can it advise on company policies if leaders do not have up-to-date, documented policies," Yuran says. Thinking through what foundational pieces needed to build, refresh, or pull together is a pivotal step to adopting Agentic AI.
Take a "walk, crawl, run" approach to implementation. Integrate the technology in small bites through things like automating FAQs with an AI-powered help desk to learn as you go and increase comfort levels, Yuran explains
Keep it human-centric. AI should support people, not replace them, Mosher says. Keep HR professionals in the loop and incorporate regular check-ins, trainings, and continuous communication to ensure employees know how the technology works and how it can benefit them, Nambiar adds.