Balancing speed, scale and responsibility in AI adoption
To experiment with AI safely and progressively, Google has launched an internal initiative known as the AI Garage.
“This garage, or our AI Lab, is there to test potential HR applications of AI quicker than we would have been able to previously,” Arnish says. “Right now, they are currently identifying processes and tasks that are unique to specific roles across HR that AI can actually supplement,” she says.
Recruiters, HR partners, benefits specialists – each function is looking for helpful ways AI can streamline tasks and enhance efficiency. A critical element, however, is ensuring that people remain at the helm. One area of impact is recruiting and internal operations where, amid hundreds of thousands of annual applications, AI helps to quickly identify strong candidates that a human alone might have missed. Yet, it’s experienced professionals who make the final decisions.
Arnish acknowledges that all this innovation rests on a fragile condition: trust. Data privacy and algorithmic bias are front-of-mind, and that’s not by accident.
“Really making sure that when you are approaching AI in your HR workflows, you are recognizing concerns around the impact on roles,” she says. “Google has a set of long-standing AI principles designed to maximize the upside of AI but really safeguard against the risks.”