What is the biggest value AI provides to HR admins?

Getting answers faster without digging through resources: 36.4%; Saving time on repetitive writing tasks: 24.6%; Making sense of data without being a spreadsheet wizard: 23.3%; Thinking through tricky employee situations: 9.0%.

How large is the organization you support in this HR survey?

Under 100 employees: 39.0%; 100 - 500 employees: 32.1%; 501 - 2,000 employees: 13.3%; 2,001 - 10,000 employees: 10.5%; 10,000+ employees: 4.9%.

AI & HR: 2026 Survey Data

Q: How would you describe your current relationship with AI tools at work?

Regular part of workflow: 58.2%; Use occasionally when I remember: 24.4%; Tried a couple of times, nothing consistent: 14.9%; Haven't started using AI yet: 2.5%.

Q: When you hear 'you should be using AI in your role,' how does that make you feel?

Excited (love learning new tools): 53.6%; Curious but unsure where to start: 23.6%; A little overwhelmed: 17.9%; Pressured like falling behind: 12.1%.

Q: Do you ever worry that AI could eventually replace your role or make it obsolete?

It’ll change, but not replace me: 54.6%; No, I feel pretty secure: 21.5%; Sometimes, but try not to dwell: 13.6%; Yes, think about genuinely: 8.7%; Haven’t thought much about it: 1.5%.

Q: Where do you feel AI has the most potential to help HR admins?

Writing or editing communications: 91.8%; Creating or updating policies or documents: 62.6%; Analyzing data or pulling insights: 61.5%; Answering employee questions: 36.9%; Building or planning recognition programs: 19.2%.

Q: Have you found any AI shortcuts, prompts, or hacks that save you time?

Be specific / context-first prompting: 38%; Drafting & communications shortcutting: 32%; Spreadsheet / formula / data manipulation: 18%; Custom agents, personas & memory setup: 15%; Prompt library / saved-prompt workflows: 12%.

Q: What’s the biggest thing holding you back from using AI more in your role?

Nothing (already using regularly): 49.5%; Not confident output will be accurate/appropriate: 23.6%; Company hasn’t given tools or guidance: 9.0%; Don’t have time to learn: 6.2%; Don’t know where to start: 5.9%.

Q: On a scale of 1–5, how confident do you feel using AI in your day-to-day HR work?

Level 1 (Beginner): 5.1%; Level 2: 9.7%; Level 3 (Intermediate): 34.1%; Level 4: 32.8%; Level 5 (Advanced): 18.3%.

Q: If you could tell the people building AI tools for HR admins one thing, what would it be?

Keep it simple & integrated: 18.1%; Make it accurate & trustworthy: 14.0%; Give us training & examples: 11.0%; Keep the human element: 9.1%; Protect privacy & data: 6.0%; Get compliance & law right: 4.9%.

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AI & HR: What we learned from the data

What HR practitioners actually think about AI — how they use it, how confident they feel, and what they worry about.

Top-line findings at a glance

The headline figures behind the white paper — the short version.

Questions we asked HR professionals around the world

Download the white paper for the full picture

Cite this research

Awardco. (2026). AI & HR: The Data — 2026 HR & AI Survey (n = 390). Companion research to “Human Resources & AI: Why All Your Assumptions Are Wrong.” Retrieved from awardco.com.

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Question 1

How would you describe your current relationship with AI tools at work?