Where AI can improve efficiency
Start by separating two questions that are often blurred: can AI do this task, and should it? The tables below list common opportunities in the three areas named in the framework. The right-hand column rates risk using the rule from Module 0: risk rises as the task moves closer to a decision about an individual.
Recruiting
| Task | How AI helps | The human’s role | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job descriptions and postings | Drafts from a brief; rewrites for clarity and inclusive language. | Confirms requirements are real and lawful; approves. | Low |
| Candidate outreach messages | Drafts personalised messages from a template. | Checks accuracy and tone; sends. | Low |
| Interview guides | Proposes structured, job-related questions and scoring criteria. | Selects questions; makes sure every candidate is asked the same core set. | Low to medium |
| Scheduling | Automation offers times, books rooms, sends reminders. | Handles exceptions. | Low |
| Interview note summaries | Turns notes into a structured summary against the criteria. | Verifies the summary against the notes; makes the assessment. | Medium |
| Candidate question-and- answer assistant | Answers questions about the process, benefits and location. | Maintains the content; handles anything personal. | Medium |
| Task | How AI helps | The human’s role | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screening, scoring or ranking applicants | A model filters or orders candidates. | Must remain the decision-maker; needs bias testing, notices and legal review. | High |
Onboarding
| Task | How AI helps | The human’s role | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome communications | Drafts welcome emails, first-week schedules, FAQs. | Verifies facts (dates, benefits); personalises. | Low |
| 30-60-90 day plans | Drafts a role-specific plan from the job description. | Manager edits and owns it. | Low |
| Paperwork routing and reminders | Automation triggers tasks for IT, payroll and the manager. | Monitors exceptions. | Low |
| New-hire question assistant | Answers policy and “how do I” questions at any hour. | Keeps content current; receives escalations. | Medium |
| Training recommendations | Suggests learning content by role. | Manager confirms relevance. | Low to medium |
Employee engagement
| Task | How AI helps | The human’s role | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey design | Drafts clear, unbiased questions. | Chooses what to measure. | Low |
| Analysing open-text comments | Groups thousands of comments into themes with counts. | Checks a sample; interprets; protects anonymity. | Medium |
| Manager talking points | Turns results into discussion guides. | Manager adapts to the team. | Low |
| Internal communications | Drafts announcements and recognition messages. | Checks facts and tone. | Low |
| Predicting who might resign | A model scores attrition risk. | Treats scores as a prompt for supportive conversation, never as a basis for adverse action; legal review. | High |
| Monitoring messages for sentiment or emotion | A model infers mood from employee communications. | In most cases, do not do this. See the warning below. | Very high |
Inferring the emotions of individual workers from their messages, voice or face damages trust and is restricted by law in some places. The EU AI Act has prohibited AI systems that infer emotions in the
workplace since 2 February 2025, with narrow medical and safety exceptions. Analysing anonymous, aggregated survey comments that employees chose to submit is a different activity and is widely done.
- Low: content and administration. Drafting, summarising, formatting, scheduling. Errors are easy to catch before they cause harm.
- Medium: information and insight. Answering employees’ questions, analysing data. Errors can mislead people, so sources and checks matter.
- High: evaluating or deciding about individuals. Screening, scoring, ranking, predicting. Errors can be discriminatory and unlawful. These need formal governance.
Good first projects come from the low rung. They build skill and trust while the organisation develops the governance needed for higher rungs.
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