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HR directors could one day be responsible for onboarding and training AI agents as organisations integrate increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence into their workforces, according to the UK chief executive of consulting giant Accenture.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Matt Prebble, CEO of Accenture UK and Ireland, suggested that HR leaders may become responsible for managing digital workers in much the same way they currently oversee human employees.
“For the small number of clients that have managed to get an authentic agentic AI working in their organisation... you have to onboard agents, you have to train the agents... that could be the HR director’s job,” he told the FT.
As reported by the FT, Prebble said organisations are only at the beginning of understanding how AI could reshape workforce structures and leadership teams. He also suggested businesses may eventually need new executive roles focused on trust and governance as AI adoption accelerates.
“Trust is going to be just so important,” he told the newspaper.
HR's role in AI adoption remains debated
While Prebble's comments point to a potentially expanded remit for HR, some experts argue that responsibility for AI implementation cannot sit with one function alone.
Ben White, executive consultant at learning and development specialist OnTrack International, said many organisations are still grappling with the basics of AI adoption despite growing interest in agentic AI.
“Some organisations are using agentic AI effectively and getting results. However, most organisations are still struggling at basic AI adoption,” he said.
“There is lots of shadow AI use where people are using AI to improve their individual effectiveness but building and working alongside AI as a company, function or team is some way off.”
According to White, one of the biggest barriers to successful implementation is how AI challenges traditional ideas about work and value creation.
“This comes down to people’s work identity being challenged. What value do I or will I add? Using AI may give people back more time to connect but what if people’s work identity is not about connecting but doing a task and going home?”
He argued that organisations often make the mistake of treating AI solely as a technology project or a learning initiative.
“One of the reasons that AI adoption and integration has failed to date is that it is seen an ‘IT thing’ or it’s do with skills and knowledge so it must be HR or L&D. AI is different,” White said.
Instead, he advocates an “augmented worker” model, where employees use AI to enhance their capabilities rather than replace them.
“I like the idea of the augmented worker where their abilities are enhanced by AI within the controlled environment of the workplace and we are all on similar journeys,” he said.
AI literacy becoming a business priority
White also warned that organisations will need to take AI training far more seriously as regulatory requirements evolve.
“There is an AI EU Act being introduced that will push companies to show that employees have AI literacy,” he said.
“This will not be solved by the usual eLearning package that people just click through and take a test at the end as a tick box. This also has to be role specific. Different roles will have different learner journeys and different use cases.”
He added that practical learning opportunities, including AI hackathons and collaborative problem-solving exercises, would be critical to embedding AI effectively across organisations.
Prebble's comments come as new research suggests employers could soon face significant challenges finding the talent needed to support their AI ambitions.
Analysis from recruitment firm Robert Walters and global payments platform Native Teams forecasts that demand for AI professionals in the UK could approach 300,000 by 2028, while domestic supply is expected to reach only around 137,000.
The report warns that more than half of AI-related roles could go unfilled within the next three years, creating a shortfall of more than 160,000 professionals.
Phill Brown, Global Head of Market Intelligence at Robert Walters, said: “The scale of projected demand for AI talent is expected to significantly outpace domestic supply growth in many advanced economies, including the UK.”
