HR Trends 2025: Five Ways to Stay Human-Centric in the Age of AI

In December 2024, we identified the key trends shaping our industry for the year ahead. In the HR Trends 2025 series, we explore the impact of these trends over time and explain how employers can embrace them. how employers can embrace them.  

First, let’s address the topic on everyone’s mind: the rapid rise of AI and what this means for employers. While AI’s potential is immense, the allure of this exciting new tech often overshadows its social and ethical implications. In Ireland, we have watched the rise of AI with increasing interest, having just passed a major milestone date on February 2nd.   

The EU AI Act was passed in order to foster trust in AI within Europe and to penalise and discourage the production of any AI which is deemed unethical.  

 In Ireland, according to the whitepaper Artificial Intelligence: Friend or Foe? An Analysis of How AI Could Impact Ireland’s Labour Market, from June 2024, occupations in Ireland accounting for 63% of employment are exposed to AI, slightly higher than the advanced economy average of 60%. Interestingly, women in Ireland seem to be more exposed to AI than men, arising from the fact more women are employed in highly exposed administrative or customer occupations. 

For employers, there are challenges which lie in embracing AI advancements without compromising the values and well-being of your teams. In Ireland, 23% of employees surveyed in 2024 said that they frequently use generative AI to help with their workload, and 22% said it made them significantly more effective.  

There is no doubt that AI plays an important role in our working lives and will continue to do so in increasing measures but ensuring that AI is ethically placed in our work life is something that we must consider carefully. We’ve put together five strategies to ensure your organisation remains human-centric in the age of AI: 

1. Adopt ethical AI practices 

Ethical considerations should be embedded into your AI strategy from the start. AI systems can reinforce bias, make judgments based on social behaviour or personal characteristics, and pose risks to privacy and human rights. Issues like emotion recognition and data security—especially when using LLMs (large-language models) like ChatGPT—are often poorly understood by employers. Regular audits, diverse development teams, and clear ethical guidelines are crucial to ensuring fairness, accountability, and compliance with evolving regulations. 

 How to spark success: 

• Make sure all teams working with AI conduct regular bias audits to ensure AI systems produce fair and equitable outcomes. 
• Assemble diverse teams to develop and monitor AI tools, bringing governance structure, varied perspectives and accountability to the implementation process. 
• Establish and communicate clear ethical guidelines governing AI use across the organisation. 

2. Design AI to empower, not replace 

AI should complement human skills by enhancing decision-making and fostering deeper thinking—not by replacing human judgment. The most effective AI solutions enable people to focus on meaningful, strategic projects while automating tedious and time-consuming tasks. However, organisations must carefully consider the balance of control, ensuring AI supports human expertise rather than diminishing it. For example, AI-driven analytics can process complex data sets at high speeds, but final decisions should remain in human hands where empathy, creativity, and ethical reasoning are required. 

How to spark success: 

• Evaluate current workflows to identify areas where AI could alleviate repetitive tasks without compromising employee agency. 
• Involve employees in the selection and testing of AI tools to ensure they enhance human decision-making capability, rather than overriding it. 
• Set clear boundaries for AI autonomy, keeping human judgment in areas requiring empathy and ethical reasoning. 

3. Focus on well-being first 

While AI has huge power to make employees’ lives easier by lightening workloads and reducing stress, poor implementation can easily have the opposite effect. To get it right, start by using AI to identify workload patterns, predict burnout risks, and personalise well-being initiatives.  

 How to spark success: 

• Implement AI tools that monitor workload patterns and flag potential burnout risks to managers. 
• Use AI to tailor well-being programmes to individual employee needs, such as flexible work schedules or wellness resources. 
• Regularly solicit employee feedback to refine and optimise well-being-focused AI tools. 

4. Be transparent about AI 

AI’s inner workings can often seem opaque, leading to mistrust and fear among employees.  It’s down to their employers to reassure employees and by being transparent about AI’s role in the future of work and creating space for discussion about its application. 

How to spark success: 

• Share clear documentation and regular updates about the role of AI in HR processes. Encourage other teams to mirror your approach.  
• Host Q&A sessions and forums where employees can raise concerns, ask questions, and provide feedback. 
• Develop a feedback loop where employee input directly informs adjustments to AI tools. 

5. Invest in upskilling and reskilling 

It’s no surprise that employees are worried about AI when they’re lacking self-confidence. SD Worx Research shows that 42% of employees in Ireland feel they don’t always receive sufficient training to handle new technologies in the workplace. Providing training in digital skills, AI ethics, and data analysis equips employees to thrive alongside emerging technologies, while demonstrating your commitment to career growth. 

 How to spark success: 

• Develop customised learning programmes focused on AI literacy and emerging digital tools.  
• Partner with educational institutions or online platforms to offer accessible training courses. 
• Regularly review and adapt training initiatives to align with evolving AI advancements.