261 - AI Confessions: What HR Leaders Really Think (Recorded Live at HR Tech)

What happens when you put a mic in front of HR leaders and ask them for their unfiltered takes on AI?

In this episode, Daniel and Stephen recap their trip to HR Tech — where they recorded 12 quick-hit “AI Confessions” from folks they met on the conference room floor. From agentic workflows and custom GPT chaos to the real blockers slowing down AI adoption, this one’s packed with candid insights from the front lines.

You’ll hear what HR leaders from companies like Lumen, Articulate, and Airbnb.

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(06:00) HR Tech debrief setup and the “non-Expo Expo” vision

(08:26) Vendor noise: everyone promises everything; how to curate for quality

(10:13) Trend: agentic workflows vs. true autonomous agents

(13:16) “One UI to rule them all” and platforms trying to do it all

(16:18) The HR “sandbox” idea and customization/vibe-coding future

(18:02) Governance should come first, not last

(19:24) New format intro: “AI Confessions” clip series

(20:10) Articulate: hype vs. reality, custom GPT maintenance tax

(24:36) Snapshot pain: stale docs and refresh gaps in tools

(25:04) Why an org brain/source of truth matters

(26:58) Biggest blockers called out: connectivity across the stack, tech limits

(30:57) Magic wand from Clip 1: payroll automation and smarter resume parsing

(34:43) Lumen: “AI diffusion,” empathy-first change and upskilling

(36:32) Creating safe spaces to experiment; role-by-role reskilling

(45:35) Myths and multi-agent maturity: where we really are

(48:20) Senior vs. junior agents; linking SMEs to AI via the org brain

(55:05) Airbnb: scouting the recruiting tech stack

(57:33) Is HR behind on tech adoption compared to other functions

(1:00:49) Biggest blocker: skills and resourcing gap in HR/TA teams

(1:03:32) Upskilling in practice: stipends, bootcamps, internal rhythms

(1:05:27) TA automation targets: scheduling, intake, JD drafts, calibration slates

(1:06:09) Change management is the hard part

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Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.