AI is often talked about as a technology issue. And while the tools and security matter, there’s a much bigger piece to it.
The real challenge is helping people actually use AI well. Employees need to understand where it fits into their work and feel supported as the way they work starts to change.
That’s why CHROs and chief people officers should have a central role in enterprise AI strategy.
In Episode 3 of Where AI Fits, SageCreek AI cofounder Connor McLeod talks with Chris Linford, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, vice president of human resources at Ampetronic | Listen Technologies. Chris has led HR in banking and financial services and has held chief people officer roles. Today, she is helping lead AI transformation from the people side of the business.
Her experience offers a practical path for HR leaders who want to own or help shape AI at their companies.
AI adoption is a change-management challenge
Chris did not begin as a technical AI expert. Several years ago, her brother told her, “AI is not going to take your job, but someone who knows AI is going to.” She began experimenting and found useful ways to apply it. She later taught her HR team how to prompt against real problems in their work.
Not all employees are in the same place when it comes to AI. Some have used AI for years. Others are unsure where to start or don’t trust the output.
A company cannot solve that by giving everyone a chatbot and hoping adoption happens.
Chris recommends first learning how employees already use AI. A simple survey can reveal hidden activity and show where people need support. It also gives HR, IT, and company leadership a shared starting point.
This is work HR already understands. HR knows how to train employees, communicate through change, and build trust across the organization. Those capabilities are part of what makes an AI investment work.
Build skill before demanding immediate ROI
Executives want AI to produce measurable value. That expectation is reasonable. But Chris warns against demanding a full financial return before employees have learned how to use the technology well.
“A good program is going to be a pilot program,” she says in the episode.
A pilot gives people room to test the technology and improve the process. Employees learn how to evaluate an answer and recognize when a human must make the final decision. Managers learn how to redesign work instead of adding another tool to an old process.
The business value follows when that skill is applied to the right workflow.
Small wins can also build trust. When employees are skeptical or worried about AI, an early success can make them more willing to engage and support stronger long-term returns.
Map the workflow before adding AI
Chris has a clear recommendation for leaders thinking about implementing AI: do not amplify a bad workflow.
Start with the current process. Identify where work slows down and where quality varies. Then decide what AI should handle and what should remain human.
Chris uses employee onboarding as an example. Onboarding often moves between HR, the manager, and several support teams. Adding AI without understanding those handoffs may make the process more complicated.
Instead, Chris started with the experience she wanted to create. She worked with AI to build an individualized 30-, 60-, and 90-day plan based on the job description and a manager’s answers to 12 questions. The plan gives a new employee clear goals and more intentional manager check-ins.
AI handles much of the document creation. The manager still reviews the plan and owns the relationship.
From there, you can see whether AI simply fits into the existing workflow or whether the workflow itself should be reimagined or rearchitected. In some cases, AI can make an existing step faster. In others, it may eliminate steps, change handoffs, or create a better way of doing the work altogether.
The important part is starting with the outcome you want, rather than trying to find somewhere to add AI.
Use HR workflows to create early proof
HR can be a strong place to pilot AI because many workflows are document-heavy and easy to measure.
Chris describes a project involving 58 unique job descriptions. In a later role-design request, the AI-assisted process helped her and a manager question whether a new position had been scoped at the right level. They considered a more tactical role that could cost about $30,000 less and might create an opportunity to develop someone internally.
Chris estimates that the analysis took less than an hour. Before AI, she believes it could have taken one to two weeks. The result was also more useful because it challenged the original assumption instead of simply documenting it.
This type of pilot can build credibility. The workflow is clear, a human makes the decision, and the company can measure whether the process improves.
Keep a human in the loop
Human oversight is especially important in HR. A job description or onboarding plan cannot be judged by a technical test alone. Someone must decide whether it fits the role and supports the company’s people.
Chris treats AI as a strong starting point. “It’s easier to edit than create,” she says.
The goal is not to remove the HR leader or manager. It is to give that person a better first draft and more time for judgment.
CHROs can turn that principle into a practical governance standard. Let AI support document creation, but clearly define which decisions require accountable human review.
Connect the people strategy to business value
HR leaders who want to own AI also need to understand how the company makes money.
Chris is direct about this. A people-centered company still needs to be viable and growing. Growth creates jobs and stability. HR cannot be treated only as an administrative function if it wants to shape enterprise strategy.
A credible CHRO AI strategy should connect each pilot to a clear business outcome. Depending on the workflow, that may be time saved, lower cost, better quality, or faster employee ramp-up.
HR’s cross-functional position is an advantage. HR sees how roles and skills connect across the company. When that knowledge is paired with business judgment, the CHRO can help choose AI opportunities that employees can actually adopt.
How a CHRO can earn a leading role in AI
Not every CEO will hand the AI mandate to HR on day one. Chris acknowledges that directly.
Her advice is to lean into what HR already does well and work closely with whoever currently owns AI. That may be the CTO, CIO, COO, or a cross-functional team.
The first conversation can be straightforward:
“I know you are leading the technology side of AI. There is an important people and change-management part of this work. HR can help build adoption and measure whether the change is creating impact.”
From there, begin with a focused sequence:
- 01Measure current AI use and employee readiness.
- 02Choose one useful workflow for a pilot.
- 03Train the people involved and establish clear guardrails.
- 04Measure the result and improve the process.
That is how HR moves from asking for a seat at the table to becoming an essential part of the strategy.
The opportunity for CHROs
AI will change how work gets done. Companies need leaders who can help employees move through that change without losing trust or good judgment.
That work fits the CHRO mandate.
As Chris says near the end of the episode, HR leaders should lean into what they already do well. Company leaders should include HR because the organization will move more quickly when the people side of the change has an owner.
If your company needs help finding the workflow where AI can create measurable value, SageCreek AI starts by looking at the business itself. The goal is to identify the right opportunity, build around the company’s real work, and help the organization carry the change through.
