CHRO Panel: From Data To Decision-Making

HR's Data Imperative

Chief human resources officers face a decisive shift in 2026: artificial intelligence has moved from experiment to daily operational reality, forcing a redesign of work between humans and machines at a time of persistent economic pressure and talent scarcity.

Gartner research highlights AI transformation atop CHRO agendas, followed by workforce redesign, leadership mobilisation amid uncertainty and culture embedding for performance. This follows rapid adoption—40% of US employees were using AI tools at work by early 2025—compounded by inflation, supply-chain strains and shifting trade policies that demand cost discipline without sacrificing agility.

Organisations slow to adopt data-driven HR practices pay measurable penalties. Turnover routinely costs one to two times salary per departure, while poor skills allocation erodes output when margins are already tight. Compliance risks compound the problem: employee discrimination and harassment claims reached record levels in 2024, leaving leaders who rely on intuition rather than analytics flying blind on emerging liabilities.

Less visible are the frictions data exposes. Predictive models can flag attrition or capability shortfalls months ahead, yet implementing them often collides with siloed systems and the need for broad stakeholder buy-in. Meanwhile, the push for efficiency risks accelerating " culture atrophy " after successive waves of change, with managers—now key stabilisers for 63% of workers—struggling without integrated insights. CHROs themselves must bridge a priority gap: CEOs fixate on technological advancement and financial results, while HR leaders stress talent development and experience.