HR Hub April 2025: How Agentic AI is Reframing HR Strategy
At this month’s Allen Associates HR Hub, delivered in partnership with RWK Goodman, attendees explored one of the most transformative developments in HR and workforce strategy: Agentic AI. Led by Surendra Phatak, GenAI Lead at PwC, the session was a deep dive into the growing role of automation and AI agents in HR and what it means for hiring, compliance, and employee experience in 2025.
This virtual session drew HR professionals from across Oxfordshire and beyond, featuring a live audience poll to gauge sentiment and maturity regarding AI adoption in HR. Here are the key findings and takeaways:
What the Polls Told Us
- Familiarity with AI in HR
- 51% of attendees have read about AI but have no hands-on experience.
- Just 2% say their organisation is actively implementing AI solutions.
- This suggests a growing awareness, but a cautious approach to adoption.
- Where AI Will Have the Most Impact
- HR Operations & Shared Services (41%) and Talent Acquisition (33%) were identified as the two areas where AI will have the most influence over the next two years.
- Engagement, learning and workforce planning were viewed as secondary.
- Biggest Barriers to Adoption
- The top concerns were:
- Lack of technical understanding (42%)
- Data privacy and ethical concerns (32%)
- Budget constraints and unclear ROI were cited less frequently.
- Comfort with AI in Practice
- Attendees were most open to automating:
- Job description and interview question generation (31%)HR policy Q&A responses (23%)
- Interestingly, 21% of respondents said they weren’t yet comfortable automating any HR task.
- Favourite AI Job Titles (just for fun!)
- “Chief Efficiency Officer – Never takes a coffee break ☕” was the most popular, followed by “Policy Parrot” and “Learning Ninja ”
Key Takeaways from Surendra’s Talk
Surendra broke down the evolution of AI in HR, from basic automation to Agentic AI – intelligent systems that can reason, make decisions, and complete complex tasks with minimal human input.
What is Agentic AI? It’s the next generation of AI, where bots aren’t just reactive but proactive. Agentic AI systems:
- Execute multi-step HR tasks end-to-end (like onboarding or policy updates)
- Adapt based on context and learn from feedback
- Work alongside humans to reduce administrative load
Practical HR Use Cases
- Responding to HR policy queries in natural language
- Automating recruitment workflows from job spec to onboarding
- Using AI agents for first-line employee support
- AI assistants that integrate across systems (HRIS, ticketing, finance)
Why Start Now? According to Surendra, AI agents are not just a future concept—they’re being deployed now in large organisations. HR leaders should:
- Start with pilot projects (e.g., automating HR queries)
- Work with existing platforms (like Workday or SAP)
- Understand data governance and privacy implications
Why It Matters
The session highlighted a fundamental shift: HR is evolving from process-led to strategy-led. AI will take care of the repetitive tasks, freeing up HR professionals to focus on talent development, leadership, and employee well-being.
This echoes broader trends Allen Associates is seeing across Oxfordshire: clients are increasingly asking not just how to hire better, but how to reshape HR teams and processes for the future of work.
Save the Date
Our next HR Hub will take place on Thursday, 30th May, where we’ll be joined by Tom Hadley, global workforce consultant and future of work activist. He’ll be exploring:
Mega-Trends, Micro-Lens: What the Next Gen Wants from Work and What It Means for HR
Stay tuned for your invite!
Want to learn more about how Allen Associates is supporting HR leaders to plan, adapt and hire for the future? Get in touch today:
hello@allen-associates.co.uk
01865 335600
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