When I ask people if they are familiar with Artificial Intelligence (AI), I often get a positive response but the answer is usually in the context of movies and entertainment. Some great examples exist, Ex machina and WestWorld to name a few but for the normal masses the common understanding of the use of artificial intelligence usually involves a robot or an army of robots trying to take over the world. When I tell people that I am researching Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning in the context of Human Capital Management (HCM) they often give me a strange look followed by a question if I am building robots to replace Human Resources professionals. That's an easy no, although there are some functions that HCM professionals can leverage to better do their job and be more efficient with their time leveraging technology including AI. Let's start there with a basic definition of Artificial Intelligence. Artificial intelligence is a technology that enables a machine to simulate human behavior.

AI is within the minds of businesses worldwide and has been experimenting and innovating to gain a competitive advantage. Here's what business professionals have said--- Business leaders believed that they would double the rate of innovation with AI. There are significant advancements in AI for a business that are expecting further modifications to create a more impactful digital workforce. Employee expectations are fixed from the beginning before the employee joins the organization, which is made to enter the workplace. For this, HR can effectively map AI with an employee's onboarding program, which gives an open communication platform where new employees can fearlessly discuss with the management. For instance, if a person works with the data team but later sometimes faces an IT-related issue, the employee knows where to reach.

These and many other fascinating insights are from Gartner's recent research note, Cool Vendors in Human Capital Management for Talent Acquisition (PDF, 13 pp., client access reqd.) that illustrates how AI and machine learning are fundamentally redefining the war for talent. Gartner selected five companies that are setting a rapid pace of innovation in talent management, taking on Human Capital Management's (HCM) most complex challenges. The five vendors Gartner mentions in the research note are AllyO, Eightfold, jobpal, Knack, and Vettd. Each has concentrated on creating and launching differentiated applications that address urgent needs enterprises have across the talent acquisition landscape. Gartner's interpretation of the expanding Talent Acquisition Landscape is shown below (please click on the graphic to expand): Source: Gartner, Cool Vendors in Human Capital Management for Talent Acquisition, Written by Jason Cerrato, Jeff Freyermuth, John Kostoulas, Helen Poitevin, Ron Hanscome.

Recent advances in computational capabilities and the evolution of exponential technologies such as AI, machine learning, IoT, big data and predictive analytics all built on powerful cloud platforms have heralded the rise of the Intelligent Enterprise. This is creating exciting opportunities and new challenges for COOs, who are currently tasked with building the organisational infrastructure that will enable exponential organisational strategy. The rise of exponential technologies is pushing organisations into a self-running future where machine learning, AI, predictive analytics, IoT and robotic process automation increasingly substitute or augment human capabilities. In the evolution from a traditional manual enterprise to a self-running enterprise, business leaders need to self-assess to first understand what phase they are in before developing digital change initiatives to bring them closer to their internal objectives. "The rise of exponential technologies is pushing organisations into a self-running future where machine learning, AI, predictive analytics, IoT and robotic process automation increasingly substitute or augment human capabilities."

Analyst house Gartner Inc., has released its newest vendor reporting highlighting four emerging solution providers that offer C-suite executives innovative alternatives in the human capital management (HCM) technologies space. Its Cool Vendors in Human Capital Management Applying AI report focuses on organizations that offer some disruptive capability and/or opportunity. Gartner says that cool vendors "exist across all major areas of technology and innovation" and CIOs that pay close attention to these trends can avoid the "disadvantage in trying to keep up." As AI becomes an increasingly popular technology within the broader talent management space, the editors here at Solutions Review thought it would be helpful to provide an inside look at the cool vendors in Gartner's report. With that being said, we've read the full report, available here, and want to take the opportunity to expand upon the introduction Gartner has given to these providers.

Better Life Lab is a partnership of Slate and New America. In 2017, Starbucks made headlines with its unequal paid family leave policy. Baristas got one set of benefits, and corporate staff got another. Within the benefits offered to baristas (those who "wear an apron"), moms who gave birth got six weeks of paid family leave. Starbucks, long known for its culture of empowering "partners" (as their employees are all called), received a barrage of frustrated employee feedback.

At the 2017 HR Technology Expo and Conference, Aberdeen witnessed something startling: Human Capital Management (HCM) technology vendors were downplaying AI as they described how they were catapulting their solution agenda further ahead into the 21st century. While one of the reasons for this is that the technology is not yet living up to the visions over which Wall Street is hopelessly salivating, the reality is that HCM vendors are not on board with the elimination of people from the workforce. It simply doesn't jibe with their goals and the way they see the market. While themes related to machine learning and AI came up in conversations with these technologists, HCM vendors seemed more excited about the way advanced-stage analytics and predictive capabilities rooted in trend analyses were helping people use technology more effectively. In other words, technologists are more interested in how their creations are finally improving labor productivity.