AI is changing HR’s role, elevating it from a support function into a strategic change agent, according to HiBob CEO and Co-founder Ronni Zehavi. Speaking to NYSE Live after being named to HR Executive’s 2026 Top 100 HR Tech Influencers list, Zehavi argued that the technology is beginning to change not just individual jobs, but the way organizations themselves are structured.
The comments point to a broader shift in the role of HR. As AI changes the skills businesses need and creates new ways for employees and AI agents to work together, HR leaders will increasingly be expected to help organizations navigate those changes rather than simply manage the workforce they already have.
That represents a significant evolution for a function that Zehavi says was traditionally treated as a supporting part of the business. With HiBob serving more than 5,400 organizations globally, his view reflects a wider debate over how HR should respond as companies enter a period of continuous technological change.
From AI Adoption To Organizational Change
Zehavi’s argument is that businesses are currently looking at AI too narrowly. Instead of focusing on how many employees are using AI, how much it is being used or how many tokens are being consumed, he believes companies should be asking what impact the technology is having on the organization.
That distinction matters because the consequences of AI could extend well beyond productivity. Zehavi argued that businesses will need to rethink the skills and competencies they require as organizational structures and workflows change. At the same time, they will need to work out how employees and AI agents can operate alongside each other. As Zehavi put it,
“The big change is when people and agents will have to work together in the future. What’s the right way to build the bridges between both of them?”
One area where Zehavi expects these changes to become particularly visible is middle management. Zehavi said the need for middle management is likely to be lower than it was before as organizations adapt to new ways of working. That does not necessarily mean managers disappear, but it does suggest their roles could change as the relationship between people and technology evolves.
For HR, that makes AI a fundamentally different challenge from introducing another workplace tool. Zehavi said the function has historically operated in a supporting role, but the pandemic demonstrated how important HR could become when organizations were forced to rapidly change how they operated. He sees AI as another moment when HR can become a change agent, working alongside other parts of the C-suite to help businesses reorganize and adapt.
Cornerstone Finds HR And IT Must Share Workforce Readiness
Zehavi is not alone in arguing that HR needs to take a more active role in preparing organizations for technological change. New research from Cornerstone suggests that workforce readiness is increasingly becoming a shared responsibility between the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and Chief Information Officer (CIO), rather than something HR can address independently.
The research, conducted with Vanson Bourne and involving more than 2,000 HR leaders, IT leaders and employees, found that organizations where HR and IT collaborate closely respond to workforce change 15% faster than those where collaboration is occasional or limited. They are also 67% more likely to feel equipped to make workforce decisions at the speed required by their industry. Yet only 35% of organizations make automation and AI investment decisions jointly.
The findings also show what the change-agent role requires from HR. Organizations are dealing with changes to AI-driven ways of working, new digital tools and new skills, meaning HR needs to understand how those developments will affect roles and capabilities before the impact is felt across the workforce. Cornerstone found that 94% of leaders believe workforce planning needs to become more continuous and adaptive, while 93% say HR and IT need stronger alignment on workforce needs.
That puts HR in a position that is very different from simply responding to the needs created by technology. It needs to anticipate those needs, identify where capabilities are likely to change and work with IT to make sure employees are prepared. The function becomes part of the process of deciding how the organization adapts, rather than simply helping employees cope after the decision has been made.
HR’s AI Role Starts With Redesigning Work
That brings Zehavi’s argument back into focus. If AI ultimately changes the size and structure of companies, HR cannot afford to treat the technology as something that belongs solely to IT or as another tool to be adopted by employees.
The more significant task is working out how people and AI agents should operate together, what skills employees will need and which parts of the organization may need to be redesigned. Zehavi argues that people will remain the number one asset of businesses, even as AI becomes more capable.
That is why the shift in HR’s role matters. The function’s strategic value in the AI era may not come from becoming the department that manages AI adoption. Instead, it could come from helping leadership understand what AI means for the organization and preparing its people for the consequences.
For businesses, that means the question is becoming less about whether HR is ready to support AI and more about whether HR is ready to help lead the organizational change AI will bring. If Zehavi is right, the companies that adapt successfully will need HR at the center of that process, helping to redesign work rather than simply managing the workforce that remains.
