Description / Talking Points

The masterclass begins by grounding participants in the new reality of HR work: one where AI systems, agentic assistants, and automation sit alongside traditional HRMS, with new workflow, knowledge and analytics tools. We explore how Software 1.0 → 2.0 → 3.0 has reshaped HR technology, why “English is now the programming layer,” and how HR’s roles in Payroll, C&B, Business Partnering and Ops  evolves accordingly, and so will other jobs in Sales, Marketing, Tech, etc.

Before discussing use cases, we establish a crucial frameworked foundation: what AI can do — and what it cannot do.

HR leaders often assume AI is all-knowing. In truth, AI operates strictly within boundaries we define: the data it sees, the functions we expose, and the guardrails we build. Misunderstanding these limits is where compliance issues, misinterpretations, and operational errors originate.

Participants learn the essential distinction between:

• Workflow Agents

  Structured, safe assistants that follow defined steps. Ideal for payroll, leave, claims, onboarding, and policy queries.

• Autonomous Agents

  Goal-seeking agents that attempt to decide the next action themselves. Useful for insights, drafting, research — but requiring stronger governance.

This distinction sets the tone for the day’s exercises in job redesign and HR automation.

To support non-technical audiences, we introduce a simple, executive-level explanation of what sits underneath AI systems:
LLMs that predict text, retrieval systems that ground answers in curated documents, and safe function-calling mechanisms that allow interaction with HRMS / payroll / policy files under strict control. No deep technical detail — just enough literacy to deploy AI responsibly in HR environments.

Outcome: Participants leave this session with a clear, practical understanding of the modern HR operating model, the realistic limits of AI, and the different agent types that will shape HR over the next decade.