59% of HR leaders report their departments’s making little to no use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), highlighting a slow adoption of emerging technologies in the field, according to new research by Vlerick Business School.

The findings come from the 11th edition of the HR Barometer – an annual study*. The research tracks emerging trends and challenges across the HR landscape, based on insights from over 120 HR leaders.

Although AI is already widely used in fields such as IT and marketing, its adoption in HR remains limited – largely due to practical barriers, rather than resistance to the technology itself.

The study reveals that HR teams are experimenting with AI in small, controlled ways, but few have a clear long-term strategy in place. Despite this, there is a strong belief that AI has the potential to enhance the employee experience and free up time for more strategic HR activities.

Other key insights from the research include:

• 58% believe the pace of AI adoption is too slow
• Just 3% have fully integrated AI into HR, while 45% are introducing it gradually
• 24% report a lack of clear strategy around AI in their HR departments
• The biggest barriers are a lack of expertise, budget, time, and high-quality data, not ethical or regulatory concerns
• AI is seen more as a tool for value creation (48%) than cost-cutting (29%)
• Employee experience is seen as the main reason for implementing AI

At present, the most common AI applications in HR are for content generation—such as writing job advertisements or creating videos (used by 69%). More advanced use cases like predictive CV analysis (14%), HR process automation (18%), and chatbots (25%) are still in the early stages of adoption.

“There’s no widespread resistance to AI in HR—what we’re seeing is a deliberate, cautious rollout,” says Dirk Buyens, Professor of Human Resources Management at Vlerick Business School. “There is a growing conviction that AI can enhance HR decision-making and help shift focus toward more strategic, value-driven work.”

Concerns around AI replacing jobs appear to be limited – only 20% of HR leaders think AI will significantly impact employment in their organisations, while nearly half believe it will have little or no effect on job numbers.

“As regulations such as the EU Artificial Intelligence Act take shape, HR leaders will need to define clear, ethical strategies for AI,” adds Ellen Volckaert, Senior R&D Manager at Hudson. “The future of AI in HR lies in responsible experimentation and gradual progress, with a strong focus on value creation and human oversight.”

HR departments looking to implement AI more effectively should invest in developing a clear strategy, upskilling their teams, and securing the necessary budget and resources. By taking a phased, thoughtful approach, organisations can harness AI’s potential to improve HR processes and enhance the employee experience.

*The study was carried out by Vlerick Business School in collaboration with Hudson