The corporate HR department has typically been the butt of jokes and scorn, and HR executives often struggle to make their voices heard on top management teams. In the age of AI, huge amounts of people management data — from employee surveys to performance reports — can be fed into natural language processing systems to glean insights that could help organizations work smarter and more efficiently. That will make HR executives important drivers of workplace transformation.

This episode features the insights of two HR experts who are also Smith School of Business alumni. Heidi Klotz is vice-president, total rewards and people analytics, at AtkinsRéalis (formerly SNC-Lavalin). And Dagmar Christianson is a London, England-based consultant in workforce transformation and the future of work. The two discuss how HR leaders will have to prepare employees for the technology disruption to come. They are joined in conversation by host Meredith Dault.