‘HR teams play a pivotal role in the successful adoption of AI’ – but these are the three areas they’re overlooking

Businesses can only integrate AI into their workforce as long as their people are willing to embrace it. 

But what are the main obstacles preventing this from happening?

In a recent report, The RenAIssance: Closing the gaps to unlock AI’s full potential, Behave found that there are three critical gaps standing in the way of AI’s successful adoption: the motivation gap, the proficiency gap, and the ethics gap. 

In an exclusive conversation with Dr Alexandra Dobra-Kiel, Innovation & Strategy Director at Behave, UNLEASH discovers what these gaps are and how HR leaders can close them.

Understanding HR’s role when integrating AI

Although Behave has named these opportunities for progression as ‘gaps’, the report clearly states that these are not “barriers,” but they should be seen as opportunities to “reimagine” the relationship between employees and AI.

For Dr Dobra-Kiel, HR plays an integral role in fostering this relationship.

HR teams play a pivotal role in ensuring the successful adoption of AI within their organizations – not only by implementing systems and processes, but by acting as translators of change, bridging the technical with the human,” she shares. 

“As AI-driven tools become increasingly embedded across functions, HR must help organizations navigate the complex social dynamics that accompany technological transformation and – in this case, disruption.”

Expanding on this, Dr Dobra-Kiel explains that there is a disconnect between the perception of AI by C-suite leaders, and how frontline employees actually experience it. This, she adds, is often as an “abstraction or even a threat.”

“This perceptual gap can undermine trust and adoption, especially when change is introduced without clarity, context, or collaboration,” she adds. “Employees may fear job displacement, feel overwhelmed by new capabilities, or question the ethical implications of algorithmic decision-making. 

“HR leaders, therefore, must work to surface these concerns early, and design engagement strategies that are transparent, inclusive, and continuous.”

Addressing the three main gaps

The first gap identified in the report was motivation, which highlights a disconnect between C-suite leaders and white-collar workers. 

For this gap to be bridged, organizations need to promote a significant mindset shift – moving from seeing AI as a tool for cost-cutting to embracing its full potential. 

The next gap found is in proficiency, which reinforces the disparity between perceived and actual AI skills. 

The report finds that although many white-collar workers feel confident in their ability to use AI, it’s often masked by a lack of understanding. To close this gap, HR leaders should foster a culture of continuous learning. 

Finally, the ethics gap highlights the crucial need for responsible practices around AI, calling for ethical frameworks to ensure organizations remain trusted and avoid resistance to AI adoption. 

However, Dr Dobra-Kiel explains that addressing the issues in motivation, proficiency, and ethics cannot be solved with training or policy, but rather, businesses should focus on “creating a culture of agency” where employees can engage as “active participants” in shaping the businesses AI journey.

“This includes ensuring that AI augments human judgment, fostering digital literacy at all levels, and embedding ethics into everyday decision-making,”  Dr Dobra-Kiel adds.

“Central to this effort is empowering leaders to become facilitators of trust and meaning, able to engage their teams in open conversations about change, uncertainty, and possibility.

“Leadership development should not focus solely on technical fluency with AI, but also on adaptive skills – psychological safety, humility, critical thinking – that help teams navigate ambiguity and collaborate effectively with AI.”

Additionally, Behave’s report emphasized how organizations must go beyond traditional leadership hierarchies when investing in new leadership pathways. 

Sharing her concluding thoughts, Dr Dobra-Kiel says: “Future-ready organisations will cultivate distributed leadership, where individuals at all levels are encouraged to take initiative and shape transformation from the ground up. 

“When employees feel respected and seen as integral to the evolution of their workplace, they are far more likely to embrace AI as a partner for driving performance, rather than a force of negative disruption. 

Ultimately, the success of AI adoption hinges not on the technology itself, but on the breadth and depth of imagination and foresight that surrounds its use.”