How IGS Energy aligned HR and IT to build employee trust in AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping how many organizations operate, from improving employee experiences to streamlining operations.

However, as leaders, we know that with great opportunity comes significant responsibility. Integrating AI is a technical decision that impacts people, processes, and workplace culture. That's why a strong collaboration between HR and IT is critical for successful adoption.

When these functions align, organizations can craft AI strategies that meet operational needs, reflect shared values, improve decision-making, promote inclusivity, and strengthen culture. Drawing on our experience at IGS Energy, we want to offer practical insights for other teams navigating this journey.

A real partnership: Aligning HR and IT around a shared AI vision

While the work that HR and IT professionals focus on might seem worlds apart, when it comes to AI, these two departments have more in common than you might think. When we began our AI journey, we both felt strongly that people-first principles should guide AI adoption as we saw how much potential it held for enhancing employee experience.

While we began experimenting with AI tools as early as 2018, some of the same key goals for introducing AI to our people can be applied to companies today:

1. Empower employees by improving their workflows and experiences.
2. Maintain trust through transparency and responsible AI practices.
3. Foster efficiency by automating repetitive tasks and refining business processes.

Translating those shared goals into meaningful, scalable action required a thoughtful rollout strategy prioritizing accessibility, feedback, and trust.

Rolling out a rightsized solution in the right way

Rolling out AI across an organization works best when it’s approached as an invitation, not a mandate. Rather than requiring immediate adoption, organizations can build engagement by showing how AI enhances everyday work and creates value across roles.

Our first large-scale rollout was IGS ChatGPT, a secure tool designed to help employees explore AI in a low-pressure environment. Usage followed a bell curve, so we reached out to both heavy users and those who had disengaged. Their feedback showed a need for more use case workshops, and after those sessions, adoption grew steadily as employees began sharing how the tool supported their work.

As we saw the comfort level with AI grow across the organization, we introduced additional tools like Microsoft Copilot. Adoption continued to rise as people were more open to the efficiencies they created, like transcripts of meetings they couldn't attend or updating job descriptions.

This type of thoughtful rollout may take more time upfront, but it pays off. By introducing AI as a support tool and welcoming feedback along the way, organizations can build scalable solutions that earn trust, encourage adoption, and set the foundation for long-term success.

Bringing HR and IT teams together can unlock AI’s benefits

Equal access: Making AI available to everyone in your organization

When AI is introduced in the workplace, it should be rooted in your organization’s core values.

Equitable access is critical. When personal computers first entered the workplace, only the top 10 to 20% of employees had access, creating a digital divide that AI could easily repeat if not addressed.

To ensure equitable access to AI, it’s important to focus on the employee experience rather than just the return on investment (ROI). A people-first strategy allows comfort to grow organically, resulting in confidence and widespread adoption. Employees who are comfortable and proficient with these technologies will have an edge. The goal should be to ensure that no one is left behind.

While there is a time and place for ROI in these strategies, in our experience, it was most critical for us to find ways to scale teams effectively and ensure our team members would be set up for success.

Ensuring scalability and governance

A common challenge with AI adoption is anticipating compliance, security, and resistance to change. This is where HR and IT collaborations truly shine. There are two key considerations.

Firstly, vet tools through dual lenses. IT teams focus on security, scalability, and technical fit, while HR brings a people-centered perspective, ensuring tools align with values like inclusion. For example, HR is key in evaluating recruitment tools to prevent algorithmic bias, such as removing unnecessary job criteria or testing for fairness in candidate selection. HR and IT help ensure AI solutions are both technically sound and ethically.

Secondly, build trust through communication. Transparency is essential to building trust in AI. Employees must understand how tools work, why they’re being used, and how their feedback influences decisions. HR can lead this communication, with support from IT, to keep messaging clear and consistent.

Key steps for rolling out AI thoughtfully

Successfully integrating AI into the workplace requires a thoughtful, phased approach that puts people first. Based on our experience, here are several key steps to consider:

1. Assemble a cross-functional AI steering committee: Include a mix of early adopters and skeptics to ensure decisions reflect diverse perspectives. Like many organizations, our first step was gathering honest feedback to guide the strategy.
2. Start with a pilot: Use a small, targeted group to test the tool, gather feedback, and refine the approach before scaling organization-wide.
3. Create meaningful feedback loops: Solicit and act on feedback early and often. In our case, surveys and live Q&A sessions with pilot participants helped uncover unexpected challenges.
4. Provide access to training and resources: Equip employees of all tech comfort levels with guides, live training, and a dedicated support system to build confidence and capability.
5. Listen to your workforce: Employee feedback should guide every phase of rollout. Understanding team needs, concerns, and expectations, including how AI might impact roles, leads to a smarter, more inclusive implementation.

Crucially, through our partnership, we have learned that bringing HR and IT teams together can unlock AI’s benefits while fostering trust, improving workplace efficiency, and elevating company culture. Successful AI implementation is as much about trust and collaboration as it is about technology.

Jenni Kovach serves as the Chief People Officer at IGS Energy, where she has been an instrumental leader for more than 15 years.

Adam Luck serves as Senior Director of IT at IGS Energy, where he leads a diverse department responsible for information security, infrastructure, technology support, business intelligence, machine learning, EDI, and robotic process automation (RPA).