What does ChatGPT mean for HR?

ChatGPT has taken the world by storm and the possibilities, good and bad, that it poses for business are endless.

It may be rife with inaccuracies, it could pose legal problems with data privacy and intellectual property, and ultimately it could end in automation job losses but it’s fair to say that even with the limitations, the tool has potential.

Although the product only launched in November 2022, survey data released by Glassdoor subsidiary Fishbowl in January this year found that nearly a third of white-collar workers in the US had already used or integrated the tool into their everyday work. The survey of 4,500 people included C-suite respondents from big-name players like Amazon, Twitter, and Meta.

Jeff Maggioncalda, chief executive of online learning platform Coursera told CNN that he uses the technology as a writing assistant and thought partner. “Anybody who doesn’t use this will shortly be at a severe disadvantage,” he said. “I’m just thinking about my cognitive ability with this tool. Versus before, it’s a lot higher, and my efficiency and productivity is way higher.”

Last year, Google placed one of its software engineers under "paid administrative leave" after he internally raised concerns about the tech giant's artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot going sentient.

Are HR leaders onboard?

Many Kiwi HR leaders haven’t yet looked at the technology, but Penelope Barton, chief of staff at Kiwi eco-packaging company noissue, said she loves using it.

“It's always good to be across any emerging technology and the pros and cons of how it can be used, so yes people should test it within their own organizational context and see how it might assist.”

Barton said the two main areas the technology was helping were creating draft communications and SQL and SQL debugging. “Whether it’s internal or external comms, it creates a first draft that gives you a starting point and you can easily spot what you like and what you don’t like. It can also help you write an SQL query or troubleshoot where you went wrong and walk you through options to improve it.”

We asked ChatGPT what it could help the HR function with, and it came up with the following in about nine seconds:

“As a language model AI, ChatGPT can provide the following benefits for human resources leaders:

1. Improved efficiency: ChatGPT can automate repetitive tasks such as answering frequently asked questions, freeing up HR leaders’ time to focus on more critical tasks.
2. Access to information: ChatGPT can provide instant access to HR policies, procedures, and other important information, making it easier for HR leaders to respond to employee queries.
3. Consistency: ChatGPT can ensure that all employees receive the same information, reducing the risk of inconsistent responses and potential HR issues.
4. Scalability: ChatGPT can handle a large volume of queries, making it ideal for organizations with a large employee base.
5. 24/7 Availability: ChatGPT is available 24/7, allowing employees to access information and support at any time, reducing the workload for HR leaders.
6. Cost-effective: Implementing ChatGPT as an AI HR support system can be more cost-effective than hiring additional HR staff.

Overall, ChatGPT can help HR leaders streamline their operations, improve the employee experience, and free up time to focus on more critical HR tasks.”

What are the pitfalls?

The technology has some industries worried; for instance, the education sector in America found that ChatGPT is capable of passing – or at least nearly passing – the US medical licensing exams. For educators, new technology that can write entire essays in seconds leaves the door open for widespread cheating.

But Barton said the software has its flaws: “You have to fact-check any information it gives you — it can be wildly inaccurate and I wouldn't recommend you ask it things you don't have already some knowledge in yourself, so you have an idea of what might be wrong or how you could refine your followup questions to be more accurate.”