The value of human judgement and automation in HCM processes 

LexisNexis Canada, an organization dedicated to providing legal, corporate and government professionals with comprehensive research and analytics solutions, says: “Human oversight is critical to ensure generative AI benefits legal services in an ethical and responsible manner. With diligent governance, professionals can utilize AI to improve efficiency, insights and justice while proactively managing risks and upholding duties.”

Blood says: “While automation and AI can streamline processes, HR decisions should always be people-focused. Human oversight ensures fairness, empathy and compliance beyond what automation can enforce. Contextual judgement is incredibly important as well, as technology lacks emotional intelligence or an understanding of the nuances of your organization and the people who support it.” 

A proactive way to use AI in payroll and HR is to enable your human resources information system to alert you to anomalies (variations in attendance, payroll amounts or other performance trends) and due dates (such as renewals needed for expiring items in an employee’s file). 

Blood recommends using these features to save time and create awareness and then having a human intervene to address any issues.

Blood also warns about the dangers of AI trained on flawed or inaccurate information and reminds practitioners to always conduct their own due diligence and avoid taking information from AI at face value. 

She says: “When utilizing AI for HR, payroll or other business-related purposes, human oversight is imperative to avoid major missteps, such as sharing confidential information with a platform that does not adhere to Canadian privacy laws.” 

Best practices for human oversight in HR automation 

Generally, Blood recommends that businesses use automation to streamline routine and repetitive tasks and to help make informed decisions. However, she emphasizes the importance of keeping humans as decision-makers and assigning them tasks that have a real impact. 

In addition to human decision-makers, continuous training is also key so that employees know how to use technology thoughtfully and intentionally, including understanding the importance of conducting regular audits to review automation tools for accuracy and impartiality.  

Blood also asserts the importance of transparency, both for employees and for outside parties, about what is automated and why.

She reminds practitioners of emerging compliance regulations, citing the example of Ontario’s Working for Workers Four Act, 2024 that makes changes to the province’s Employment Standards Art. 

As of January 1, 2026, employers with 25 or more employees must say in any publicly advertised job posting if AI is used to screen, assess or select applicants. 

Blood adds, “Transparency in the hiring process is really a good practice for all organizations to adopt, even if not yet mandated in their region.”