Start AI with the people who answer the questions
Test an internal assistant with HR service agents before putting AI in front of every employee.
An internal HR assistant is a sensible first test before automating for every employee.
Before putting an AI adviser in front of every employee, look at the colleagues already running the service. Where do they lose time: finding the right policy, interpreting an exception, drafting a clear reply?
My recommendation is to start there. The assistant helps with search and drafting, and the agent stays responsible for the answer. That gives the organization a bounded way to learn.
The evidence is encouraging, not conclusive. A study of 5,172 customer-support agents found uneven gains. Less experienced workers benefited most, while experienced workers saw smaller speed gains and some quality declines. That’s customer support, not HR, so the case has to be proven in HR work itself.
Where I’d start: pick a low-risk queue and set the baseline. During the pilot, review a sample of answers for accuracy, applicability and clarity without knowing which used AI. Count the time spent checking and correcting output.
The test: look past the average. Experienced agents, new starters and hard case types may see very different results.
Disagree? Tell me on LinkedIn. That’s where the discussion happens.