Zach Friedman is senior principal, research, and Hanne Nieberg is senior director, analyst, in the Gartner HR Practice.
Gartner predicts by 2030 that 50% of current HR activities will be artificial intelligence-automated or performed by AI agents. As AI reshapes how organizations operate, HR leaders find themselves navigating one of the most profound workforce transformations in decades.
Recent Gartner research found that 92% of HR leaders indicate that their function has already taken action to implement AI in HR over the last six months. This includes HR teams piloting tools, creating AI roadmaps and launching staff learning programs at breakneck speed.
But while CHROs are actively adding technical fluency to their teams, many overlook the equally important responsibility of safeguarding the human-centric capabilities that are foundational to HR’s success.
The future of HR will be defined by those who can blend human expertise with machine intelligence. That balance begins with a clearer understanding of the skills HR must add, evolve and preserve.
Which skills are emerging?
As AI becomes embedded in HR, new skills are rising in relevance including AI literacy, responsible AI governance, intelligent workflow design and the ability to mediate between human judgment and algorithmic recommendations. These are becoming essential skills for HR teams tasked with ensuring that AI systems are reliable, ethical and aligned with organizational culture.
What makes these emerging skills challenging is their pace of change. Because AI technologies evolve quickly, the competencies required to manage and leverage them evolve quickly, too. CHROs must therefore approach new skills with intentionality, customizing them based on industry demands, organizational maturity and strategic goals rather than defaulting to a one-size-fits-all model.
Which skills must be elevated?
Alongside new competencies are a set of established skills that have grown significantly more important in an AI-infused HR operating model. These skills, which include data engineering, enterprise project management, strategic consulting and change leadership, must be elevated in development priorities and reinforced in role expectations.
These capabilities matter because AI doesn’t eliminate HR’s strategic influence; rather, it amplifies it. HR now has access to more data, more insights and more automation than ever before. But turning those insights into business outcomes requires human judgment, business acumen and the ability to lead transformation across functions. CHROs must ensure they have the right skills in their function to achieve changing measures of success.
Core human skills: the irreplaceable foundation of the HR function
It’s key that HR leaders today remember that in the age of automation, human skills do not diminish in value but rather become non-negotiable. The core human skills HR cannot afford to lose include critical thinking, creativity, data judgment, emotional intelligence, business acumen and relationship management.
These capabilities are the glue that binds technology to meaningful outcomes. Without them, even the most advanced AI systems will fail to generate trust, adoption or long-term value.
The risk is subtle but real: If CHROs focus disproportionately on technical upskilling, these fundamental skills may erode — and once weakened, they are far harder to rebuild.
The bottom line
To lead effectively in the AI era, CHROs must strike a deliberate balance. That means:
- Adding the right new AI-aligned skills. Not every team member needs deep technical expertise, but HR must build enough fluency to deploy AI responsibly and strategically.
- Elevating the skills growing in importance — especially those related to data interpretation, enterprise leadership and strategic consulting.
- Protecting the human skills that define HR’s value — because they are what allow technology to be applied with insight, empathy and purpose.
This balancing act requires ongoing assessment and adaptability. AI will continue reshaping HR’s work, and CHROs must revisit skill priorities often to stay ahead of the curve.
