At CES 2026, HR leaders from Salesforce, Samsung and GitLab described how AI is reshaping the HR landscape by prompting a shift in how teams approach organizational design, talent management and daily operations. They highlighted that HR's responsibility now includes ensuring AI promotes fair and inclusive practices while supporting greater efficiency and productivity. The panelists agreed that AI's growing presence is fundamentally altering traditional HR roles, requiring new skill sets and human-centered oversight to guide responsible implementation.

HR is undergoing a transition from intuition-led decisions to a data-driven approach, with analytics now central to shaping strategy and culture. The perception of HR as "soft and fluffy" has been mainly due to a lack of robust data, rather than the nature of the work itself. With modern HCM systems, HR leaders can now access real-time insights into workforce patterns, inefficiencies and costs, enabling them to answer longstanding questions with evidence rather than assumptions.

AI is playing a role in HR, with expanded use in areas such as performance management, recruiting, learning and employee engagement. Chatbots now routinely handle HR-related employee inquiries, while AI-driven tools assist with writing performance reviews and summarizing feedback. In recruiting, AI automates tasks such as screening resumes, drafting job descriptions and conducting preliminary video interviews. However, CHROs are advised to remain vigilant about risks, such as privacy concerns and potential bias in AI-driven hiring, and ensure that chatbots provide accurate and up-to-date information.

LinkedIn's latest report highlights a gap between job seekers and talent acquisition professionals, with more than half of professionals looking for new jobs but feeling unprepared, while two-thirds of talent acquisition professionals struggle to find qualified candidates. The report suggests that AI is a solution, with nearly 60% of talent acquisition professionals already using AI to find better-fit candidates. LinkedIn advocates for small, controlled pilots of AI tools, focusing on specific business problems and segmenting solutions for different types of hiring.

HR technology is transforming how companies measure the return on investment of return-to-office initiatives, focusing on productivity, collaboration and employee well-being rather than traditional metrics such as hours worked or physical presence. Advanced people analytics platforms provide insights into network density, information flow and workload balance, enabling organizations to address burnout and disengagement proactively. As HR tech evolves, predictive workforce intelligence is expected to allow companies to adapt their workplace strategies in real-time.

Internal marketing is essential because it positions employees as the company's first customers, ensuring they feel informed, valued and aligned with the company's mission. When internal marketing is prioritized, it fosters a positive work environment, enhances communication and builds a strong internal brand. This approach leads to higher employee satisfaction, greater productivity and ultimately helps transform staff into enthusiastic brand ambassadors who are invested in the organization's success.

US job growth slowed in December according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with nonfarm payrolls increasing by 50,000, compared with a revised 56,000 in November, while the unemployment rate decreased to 4.4%. The slowdown is attributed in part to import tariffs and rising investment in AI that may be offsetting hiring.