Abstract
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has renewed attention on human resources (HR)’s quest for a more prominent role in organizations. This chapter focuses on what happens to the HR role in practice by drawing on a field study of an AI hiring tool. We find that the tool provided an occasion for HR professionals to reshape their roles. Rather than interpreting AI as threatening their expertise, HR professionals embraced it as an opportunity to elevate their position. As a result, HR’s activities increasingly shifted toward serving the needs of the algorithm. We conclude that engagement with AI in practice results in a double-edged dilemma for HR professionals: on the one hand, they may increase their influence over managers who value AI outputs, but on the other hand, lose the opportunity to develop and apply their unique expertise. These outcomes raise new concerns for the future of the HR profession.