- It is a big deal. First, it was Cloud. Then APIs. Then People Analytics. Then personalization and EX. Then Skills. Now it's GenAI. Every few years, HR tech goes through waves of innovation that quickly become table stakes. I believe we’ve reached peak AI hype this year. If everyone has GenAI in their tech stack, it’s no longer a differentiator. Last year, it was still novel, but in 2024, it’s expected that you have AI (along with cloud, data, skills, etc.). The real question in HR tech now is: What impact are you making? How are you helping employees, HR functions, and organizations globally? Automating the wrong tasks isn’t progress. Seventeen different chatbots and twelve skills ontologies aren’t progress either. So yes, AI is here, but it’s just another tool now—time to move on to what’s next.
- Work is hard. Whether it's long working hours, constant change, remote work, frontline work, or digital overload, these challenges are creating a strong market for wellbeing, wellness, and more flexible benefits. Becoming an employer of choice means helping employees love their life, not just their job. Multiple offerings cater to this growing need.
- Every job deserves a salary. Earned Wage Access and on-demand pay apps are trending right now, with many offering the same value proposition: get paid as you work, not just on payday. If you work eight hours today, why wait two weeks (or, as in many places in Europe, one month) to access your earned money? I suspect we’ll see consolidation in the next few years, with major HCM providers acquiring these solutions to embed in their platforms.
- The candidate experience market is becoming crowded. I’ve seen numerous platforms offering integrated solutions for candidate experience, recruitment, interviews, and talent CRM all in one. These platforms are becoming commoditized, and I wonder if consolidation or embedding in larger HCM solutions is on the horizon.
- AI adoption—really? We talk about digital adoption with large, complex ERP solutions because they change how businesses operate, and adoption is crucial. But good AI shouldn’t require much adoption. It’s always surprising to hear about “AI adoption.” If AI is as smart as vendors claim, we don’t need to worry about adoption—just like no one reads the manual to use an iPhone, buy something on Amazon, or watch something on Netflix. You just do it.
- What I didn’t see: There weren’t many standalone L&D solutions. The market seems saturated, and most HCM platforms already have LMS/LXP offerings, so it’s crowded. I also didn’t see much VR. I believe VR will eventually transform learning in the flow of work, employee support, and performance consulting.
- Small HCM players are making a splash. They offer entire HCM and EX portfolios in one package, which is particularly interesting for the mid-market segment.
- The real progress will be in Deep EX (employee experience). I saw many solutions I would call “Surface EX”—they unify employee listening, performance management, recognition, internal social media, search, content sharing, and collaboration tools, often with multiple enterprise system integrations. There were also a lot of “teaming” solutions. In short, these are digital spaces where employees can interact with content and each other—a new version of the enterprise intranet with more interactivity. However, the real evolution will be in “Deep EX.” Systems (or agents) will access and unify data across platforms. While Surface EX systems let employees share content, Deep EX will focus on creating a meaningful employee experience by enabling them to get work done more efficiently—for example, pulling data from CRM systems to build a go-to-market strategy based on previous campaigns, financial projections, and corporate calendars. Agentic AI will be instrumental in making this a reality.).
Human Capital US Chief Marketing Officer @ Deloitte Consulting LLP | Making work better for humans and humans better at work
4moI agree with you re: the VR/AR comment - given the power we’ve seen AI in creating images / avatars, I was surprised not to see more interactive AR/VR demos highlighting new ways of learning.
Fractional Talent Management & Org Development Leader | Leader Trainer & Coach | Change Management Expert | Building High-Performing Teams & Businesses | Strategic HR Advisor | Culture Architect & Shaper | Let’s connect!
4moInteresting Benoit, thanks for sharing!