About this episode Top Insights
“Does automation become a decision maker? No, at the end of the day, it’s a human.” — Krupa NS

Welcome to another episode of The CHRO mindset. In this episode, Krupa NS, CHRO at Xoriant is spilling the beans on why AI can never take over the human power of giving clear and optimal business judgment.

If you have second thoughts on integrating automation, go ahead but listen to her first to know where you should hype human intelligence and where you should make the AI a clear hero.

If reading isn’t one of your favorite hobbies, then watch this episode on Spotify and dive into the 40 minutes of pure information and expertise on the integration of AI and HR.

 

Watch This HR Podcast If You Are…

A key decision maker in your company who’s assigned the task to implement people-friendly AI in HR and want to know:

  • Where should you trust automation while using AI tools?
  • What are the sensitive processes which you must never automate?
  • Which mistakes should you avoid while working with AI data?

 

Top Three Insights You Will Find in This One of the Top HR Podcasts

 

1. AI paradoxically enhances human elements in HR

Yes, because with AI comes a technology that handles the menial and repetitive work of HR, making it ‘human’ again. The integration of AI in HR manages data quality, analytics, insights & prediction, and almost every grunt work, and enhances the HR’s ability to show more empathy and compassion toward real culture and business growth issues like

  • Stay interviews instead of data clean-up
  • 1:1 conflict mediation instead of ticket triage
  • Burnout detection & intervention instead of attendance tracking
  • Bias-free promotion discussions instead of manual appraisal sorting
  • Personalized learning pathways instead of spreadsheet-based L&D planning

2. Focus more on “applied artificial intelligence” over AI

As an HR, you should focus more on the “applied” part of AI over the mindless hype. It’s not the implementation of people-friendly AI in HR that’s overwhelming but the lack of clarity on how it should be integrated or controlled in a work environment. For example, while reviewing the performance of an employee, do consider the metrics, but don’t forget to put in the human judgment while making the final decision like promotions, layoffs, etc. But how do you do that? Here are some key tips:

  • Gain clarity on why and where you will be using a specific AI tool
  • Start with a real HR problem and ask how AI solves it
  • Assign computational or data related tasks to AI
  • Always validate AI outputs with context and decide afterwards
  • Use AI to simplify repetitive decision loops

3. AI should be a proactive co-pilot for employee experience, not a monitor

As an HR, you should take AI’s assistance to design an employee journey that is aligned with your employees rather than policing a culture that suffocates them. An AI tool can be used to analyze data regarding policies, performance, work satisfaction, engagement, attrition rate, and perks & benefits to create an employee experience that truly aligns with your workforce needs. So, how can you modulate AI to work as your co-pilot in HR to understand the cores of a strong environment. Here you have it.

  • Use AI to detect burnout and disengagement trends early
  • Leverage AI to tailor L&D, perks, and benefits per team
  • Apply AI insights to support human-led promotion and intervention decisions
  • Cross-check AI analytics with manager observations for accuracy
  • Design policies and recognition systems using AI to build trust

 

Mic Drop Moment 

“It’s about people who can use this applied intelligence and the ones who can’t.” —Krupa NS

With this statement, Krupa NS dropped her heaviest insight bomb. It simply differentiates between HR professionals who know how to leverage AI tools and the ones who don’t. She says that only professionals who don’t know what to do with an AI tool, where to use it, and how to use it effectively.

As Krupa said, HR professionals who lack confidence in AI tools, proper training and in-depth knowledge, mostly give in to the AI hype, letting it overtake everything, from workforce analytics to performance reviews. This usually leads to biased and inhumane decisions that mold culture in a way where there is blind reliance on AI tools, and no contextual thinking is left to keep the spotlight on employees.

According to Krupa, the integration of AI in HR should always be for areas that need automation and strict data analysis like finance and accounting, legal and compliance, IT & security, supply chain, etc.

 

The Rapid-Fire Round: No Prep, Only Perspectives.

  • Q1. One HR process you would automate tomorrow without guilt.
    Krupa NS —Mundane processes like recruitment, scheduling interviews, etc.
  • Q2. One HR process you would protect from automation at all costs
    Krupa NS —Compensation, performance
  • Q3. Efficiency or empathy? Which one AI challenges more?
    Krupa NS — Empathy, fairness, intuition, etc.
  • Q4. One AI tool that impressed you recently
    Krupa NS — Copilot
  • Q5. What’s your boldest prediction about how AI will redefine HR in the next 5 years?
    Krupa NS — Designing what suits your needs (Personalization).
  • Q6. AI will make HR more ______ but only if we remain __________.
    Krupa NS — Efficient if we remain human

 

Food for Thought: Integration of AI in HR and human judgment

 

1. How should you balance AI-driven decisions with your judgment to prevent workforce analytics biases?

Workforce analytics is important but doesn’t include every aspect. For example, an employee can have immense potential but is unable to perform their best because they are undergoing personal traumas and issues. These are some considerations that you might not find on the dashboards. That’s why it makes sense to not blindly trust AI-driven conclusions and apply these before coming to a decision:

  • Always rely on contextual judgement
  • Consider human circumstances also
  • Ask about emotional well-being
  • Take interest in managerial insights

2. How can you ensure ethical AI use in HR without losing the human touch in performance reviews and hiring decisions?

While reviewing performance and hiring talent, you must have your ears and eyes open. It means blindly following what an AI tool is showing on dashboards will definitely throw your human judgment into doubt if you don’t cross-check the information. However, there are ways to make it ethical if you:

  • Validate AI scores with manager check-ins
  • Cross-verify dashboards with behavioral evidence
  • Use AI insights as input, not verdicts
  • Add human review layers for edge cases
  • Audit AI tools regularly for bias

3. What steps can you take to validate AI outputs and reduce risks like data bias, misinterpretation, or unfair talent decisions?

As an HR professional, you can’t be sure of an AI tool 100%. That would be disastrous. Since AI tools have a high tendency to create biases or give unreliable decisions, it’s important to validate its output and minimize (or completely remove) the risks caused by its misinterpretations. So, in case if you are looking for such smart ways to stay one step ahead of any AI tool that’s functional in your HR, here you have some of these:

  • Track AI errors and build a risk log
  • Use multi-source data, not just dashboards
  • Set clear escalation rules for dubious AI results
  • Audit AI outputs for bias and anomalies
  • Run human review for high-impact decisions

Meet the Guest

Krupa NS is the current CHRO at Xoriant, helping businesses in the industry of Engineering and R&D services, comprising, Aerospace, Telecom, Semi-conductor, and Consumer electronics, and more. With more than 20 years of experience, she strives to make these sectors discover their full potential with TA, resource planning, and transitions.

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Krupa NS

Krupa NS

CHRO, Xoriant