HR leaders, meet your newest team members. They execute complex tasks with minimal oversight, excel at cross-functional collaboration, and never need time off. Or pay. Or food. If you’re thinking no human could fit this description, you’re right—these new joiners are AI agents. And they hold huge potential for organizations that are ready to put them to work. Is yours?
For too many companies, the answer is no—or at least not yet. That’s because AI agents can make an impact only when an organization’s people have the skills and support to get the most out of them.
While technology accelerates, organizational readiness lags, according to data from the 2025 Enterprise AI Maturity Index. Only 27% of CHROs are confident their organization possesses the right talent mix to execute their AI strategy, while just 13% believe their department is aligned with others on a clearly defined AI strategy.
This disconnect represents an opportunity for HR leaders to reshape organizational capabilities. To increase AI maturity, CHROs need to adopt the following best practices:
The most successful CHROs are creating opportunities for continuous learning so that technical skills can grow alongside human capabilities.
Training and upskilling are most effective when they’re integrated into the workflows that people use every day, says Spencer Beemiller, an innovation officer at ServiceNow. “Imagine we’re on a call and, afterward, a pop-up points us to relevant training modules and suggestions for ways to collaborate. That training is sparked by the work that is currently occurring—rather than training as an afterthought,” he says.
This approach is critical for CHROs looking to cultivate a workforce that partners with AI, bringing human judgment, creativity, and ethical reasoning to the table while technology handles the computational heavy lifting.
Only 18% of CHROs are confident in their ability to measure the ROI on their AI initiatives, according to the Enterprise AI Maturity Index. That’s compared to 26% of CFOs and 34% of CCOs.
CHROs should expand their metrics beyond greater efficiencies to capture AI's full transformative potential. Forward-thinking CHROs track AI’s impact on:
- Decision quality across management layers
- Time savings for high-value human work
- Worker engagement with AI-enhanced workplace tools
- Human-AI collaboration
However, many CHROs are still figuring out the technology. Only 16% say they are “very familiar” with agentic AI, and 15% are currently using it in their organization. Fewer than half plan to implement AI agents over the next year, according to our research. To meet the moment, CHROs need to get up to speed on AI.
While having a clear, shared AI vision organization-wide may seem obvious, only 24% of CHROs report that their org has one. Even worse, only 3% believe their department aligns with others on AI strategy. As AI development races ahead, such a disconnect is unsustainable.
Leading CHROs are showing the way by positioning themselves as enterprise connectors, establishing cross-functional AI governance that brings all stakeholders to the same table. Instead of deploying AI tools as one-off solutions to individual problems, leaders are creating a coherent AI strategy that involves expanding into new markets and preparing employees for the future, says Beemiller.
This requires CHROs to think broadly and deeply about the possibilities AI agents will create in their organizations. “AI strategy is about building a pathway for the organization—not simply using AI to give employees more time, but fostering something important with that time,” he says.
The most forward-thinking CHROs recognize that trustworthy AI is the only sustainable AI. As it stands, 43% of CHROs report significant progress on developing data governance frameworks. This is good, but there’s more to do.
Truly innovative CHROs reframe governance from limiter to enabler. They develop ethical guidelines that address AI's role in talent processes, creating clear protocols that simultaneously protect individual dignity and foster innovation.
Just 42% of CHROs report progress connecting data across functions. Successful HR leaders use unified platforms, frameworks, and tools to track and measure the health of their talent across the enterprise.
As stewards of organizational culture, CHROs stand at the intersection of technological potential and human capability. They're working with IT and operations to design intelligent workflows where AI capabilities blend seamlessly into human work patterns. This strategic alignment transforms HR from a support function into a critical business driver.
Even the most sophisticated AI implementation can be undone by the simplest human reaction: resistance to change. At a time of such profound technological change, the CHRO's expertise in cultural transformation has never been more valuable.
Successful HR leaders foster AI understanding through transparent, continuous communication that acknowledges concerns while illuminating possibilities. “As a CHRO, you have a powerful opportunity to lead with transparency—guiding your organization and workforce through how AI is reshaping skills, hiring, and careers,” says Beemiller. “Embracing this shift with clarity isn’t just supporting the future of work—it’s empowering it.”
By championing these practices, CHROs can lead their organizations beyond cautious experimentation to confident innovation—creating a workplace where AI doesn't just process information, but functions as a humane partner in innovation.
Find out how ServiceNow helps put agentic AI to work for people.
