Human resources departments have embraced AI, with 82% of HR professionals using the technology at work, but only 30% have received comprehensive, job-specific AI training, according to a survey by General Assembly.
While 69% of HR professionals say AI has freed up time for more strategic work and 41% report working fewer hours because of AI adoption, a lack of targeted training leaves many to learn AI on their own, with mixed results on confidence and effectiveness.
“AI is transforming every aspect of work, but to harness its full potential, we need to upskill every department, especially HR,” said Daniele Grassi, CEO of General Assembly. “HR teams who receive job-specific AI training are 35% more likely to say they are very or completely confident in their AI skills at work than those who learn AI on their own. HR teams are on the frontlines of talent development and employee upskilling, and they must understand emerging workplace technologies.”
HR teams are using AI for tasks like analyzing employee feedback (46%), writing job descriptions (46%) and designing training materials (45%). Yet formal training hasn’t kept pace. Outside of the 30% who have received job-specific training:
- 18% received basic training covering concepts but not real applications
- 12% received generic AI training that wasn’t useful for HR tasks
- 14% sought out training on their own
- 26% received no formal AI training at all
The gap is especially persistent among Gen Z, with 38% of the workforce’s youngest generation reporting they’ve received no formal AI training. Healthcare was the most likely industry to have received no AI training, with 32% of respondents noting this. HR pros in finance (39%) and professional services (46%) were most likely to have received comprehensive, job-specific AI training.
Role-specific training is strongly correlated with confidence in using AI, with 85% of those who received it saying they feel very or completely confident in their skills. Additionally, HR professionals say they are eager for more practical, hands-on AI training tailored to their specific roles:
- 70% want interactive workshops focused on HR use cases
- 63% want regular training updates as AI tools evolve
- 59% of non-AI users say they would need hands-on, HR-specific training to get started
- The top things HR professionals want to learn how to use AI for include workforce planning (47%), designing training materials (46%) and writing employee communications (42%)
While training and encouragement can bolster AI usage, mandates appear to backfire for HR professionals. More than two in five HR professionals (41%) at companies where the use of the technology is mandated say AI has created more work for them and pulled them away from other priorities (compared to 13% at companies that encourage, but don’t require, the use of AI).
Only 6% of HR professionals say they are motivated to use AI because of leadership demands–rather, they are eager to enhance productivity, improve their work product and reduce their workloads.
Learn more about the survey here.
Methodology
The survey was conducted by General Assembly from June 9 to 20, 2025 among 288 HR professionals at organizations with at least 100 employees in the US and UK.
