How HR Gets a Seat at the Table on AI Decisions
Right now, somebody in your company is deciding which AI tools to buy, who gets to use them, what data goes into them, and how they get rolled out. If you're the HR person or a senior leader and none of that has crossed your desk, it's still happening. It just isn't happening with you in the room. I've been in HR for over 20 years, and "a seat at the table" is a phrase I've avoided that entire time, because it usually means someone wants a title. This time it means something different. The people decisions inside your AI rollout are the strategy, and in most small businesses nobody who understands people is part of those conversations.
HR is being left out of AI decisions
More than half of organizations (52%, according to SHRM's 2026 State of AI survey) don't involve HR in their AI strategy at all. IT usually drives it, with HR in a supporting role or cut out entirely. That isn't a neutral choice. It's the same old problem of people decisions getting made without the people expert, and it just makes the problems show up faster and bigger. I'll be honest with my HR folks here too. A lot of HR pros wouldn't try to get into these conversations, because they don't understand how the business actually makes money. If you can't read your P&L, it's hard to make the case that anyone should listen to you.
Leaving HR out gets expensive
Gartner found that 88% of HR leaders say their organization hasn't gotten significant business value from its AI tools yet. I'm not surprised. Most companies I walk into are running on shadow AI, which means people are using tools with no policy, no training, and nothing written into their standard operating procedures. Here's how that plays out. The AI tool changes what a role actually does, but the job description still describes the job from two years ago. The job posting is built off that job description, so you're hiring for the wrong skills. The performance review measures the old job, so nobody is held to the new expectations. And when you need to write someone up or put them on a performance improvement plan, there's nothing documented to point to. LinkedIn estimates 70% of job skills will shift by 2030. If AI isn't tied to your job descriptions, reviews, and discipline process, you have a real gap in your HR systems.
This isn't unique to AI, either. Most companies are paying for payroll software, CRMs, and HR platforms they only use a fraction of, usually because training and change management never made it into the buying decision. HR metrics are finance metrics, and an AI tool nobody uses is a line item on your P&L doing nothing.
The stakes are going up
Gartner also predicts that by 2027, half of enterprises without a real AI people strategy will lose top talent to competitors who are equipping their teams. Those are your drivers, the people who want to grow and scale with you. Meanwhile, only about 27% of executives say they have a comprehensive AI strategy at all. That gap is the opening. Somebody has to own the people side of AI, and if you're in HR, that's you. If you don't have HR, it's whoever in leadership is closest to it.
What HR brings that IT can't
You're not there to slow AI down (I want my clients accelerating). You're there to ask the questions nobody else in the room is asking:
Will people actually use this? 65% of employees say they're excited about AI at work, but excitement without training and clear rules turns into shadow AI or heels dug in.
Is it fair, and is it legal, especially anywhere it touches hiring, screening, or performance?
Who owns the decision when the tool gets it wrong?
Where's the training, so people aren't winging it?
Is the rollout timeline realistic on top of everyone's current workload?
IT brings governance and security, legal brings risk, and HR brings judgment, fairness, adoption, and trust. You need all of it.
How to take the seat (no title required)
Bring numbers, not concerns. Don't walk in with "I'm worried about AI." Walk in with your cost per hire and where a screening tool might move it, or your turnover cost and the adoption risk if nobody trains people.
Decide where you sit. Use RACI (responsible, accountable, consulted, informed). Most HR people don't need to run the AI committee, but you do need to be consulted, and your name needs to be on the email before the tool gets bought.
Own one lane and own it well. Write the AI use policy, build the training rollout plan, own internal communications, or run the people-risk review on new vendors. One clear lane beats a vague seat every time, because a vague seat is easy to cut.
Be honest that you're catching up. 65% of HR pros say they don't feel ready to work with AI. You're not behind, you're where most people are, which means the seat is wide open. Show up ready to learn out loud and still contribute something useful.
Your move this week
Find out who is actually making AI decisions in your company. Who bought the last two tools, and who approves the next one? Bring it up at your next leadership meeting. You can't take a seat you can't find, and "they didn't bring me in" is a hindsight excuse. Everybody is figuring this out right now, so show up with everyone else.
If AI is already rolling out in your business and you're not sure your job descriptions, policies, and performance process are ready for it, take the free HR Audit to see where your foundation stands. 👉 saltandlightadvisors.com/hraudit
Resources to keep building:
🎯 Take the free HR Audit — Score your HR systems in 5 minutes and see exactly where your gaps are.
👉 saltandlightadvisors.com/hraudit
🎙️ Listen to Don't Waste the Chaos — The podcast for small business owners building strong people operations. 👉 kerrimroberts.com/dontwastethechaos/hr-seat-at-the-ai-table
📖 Get The HR Easy Button — Kerri's book on building HR systems that actually work for small businesses. 👉 https://amzn.to/3SbYO0D
✉️ Subscribe to the newsletter — Weekly HR insights for founders, in your inbox every Monday. 👉 saltandlight.myflodesk.com/saltandlightadvisors
Need fractional HR support or want to talk through a specific challenge? 👉 saltandlightadvisors.com/contact
Ready to build foundational HR systems on your own? 👉 saltandlightadvisors.com/hrfoundations
