Understanding the Transformation of HR Professionals’ Work in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

This study investigates how AI is transforming the day-to-day work of HR professionals in private sector organizations in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, the purpose of the study is to understand how HR professionals experience and interact with AI in their daily work. The study examines their actual experience using AI in different HR tasks and how this use is changing how they carry out their work. The study uses Social Technical System (STS) theory as a theoretical lens to examine how AI is changing HR professionals' daily work and the interaction between human and technological elements in HR. The study uses a qualitative research strategy, interviewing 11 HR professionals in private-sector organizations in Sri Lanka. The data were analyzed using NVivo 15 software, following thematic analysis. The study identifies three key forms of HR tasks emerging through AI integration: (1) tasks susceptible to automation, particularly repetitive, administrative, data-intensive, and routine; (2) tasks that continue to require human involvement, particularly those involving human judgment, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal interaction; and (3) emerging AI-enabled tasks that arise through the integration of AI into HR work. Overall, AI is not replacing HR professionals but is redistributing tasks between HR professionals and technology, highlighting the importance of human-AI collaboration.