IBM’s Deep Blue supercomputer took on world chess champion Garry Kasparov in a historic man-versus-machine matchup in 1996. Kasparov won that match, but in 1997, the computer reigned supreme, besting Kasparov and becoming the first computer to beat a world champ at the ultimate board game, signaling that perhaps computers can outperform even the pros.

When ChatGPT was entering the public consciousness early last year, some workers began to worry that the tool’s capabilities might eventually render them useless to employers. The HR field was not immune, and to test this, Mineral (now a division of Mitratech) set out to see if the tool was indeed smarter than their experts.

Mitratech, an HR compliance software company, helps small businesses “navigate really sticky situations,” said Mineral’s Head of HR Compliance Services and Content Susan Anderson, and make sure no one is running afoul of the law. Its team of (human) experts field more than 15,000 HR questions monthly, she said.

When data scientists performed the first experiment last year, assessing ChatGPT’s ability to advise on HR questions with OpenAI’s GPT-3.5, Anderson cut it short.

Keep reading here.—AD

Talent acquisition teams: It’s time to amp up automation. And not just for screening candidates or scheduling interviews. We’re (mindfully) going big to create better candidate experiences.

AI’s potential in talent acquisition spans from the initial hiring process all the way up to the organization at large. Get all the details on how this opportunity could impact your org in Josh Bersin’s on-demand e-book.

As an industry maven with 25 years of experience, Bersin has been around for many HR evolutions. In this e-book, Bersin tackles:

• how AI will change the HR space
• the role of conversational AI in recruiting
• how organizations are saving millions annually by leveraging AI for hiring efficiency

See how automation can impact your org’s entire HR operation. Get the e-book.

Walmart is celebrating its associates this week, bringing roughly 14,000 workers to its Bentonville, Arkansas, headquarters. HR Brew is on the ground at Associates Week, and talking with execs about the company’s plans for employees.

Festivities and fun. Some highlights from the week have been the unveiling of new incentives for hourly associates, and the annual shareholders meeting. (Oh, and a concert with Natasha Bedingfield and Leon Bridges—the week is known for attracting surprise celebrity guests, from Chris Hemsworth to Taylor Swift.)

During the meeting, all shareholder-proposed measures—including calls for Walmart to conduct a racial equity audit, report on respecting civil liberties, and perform a workplace safety and violence review—were voted down. The company’s growth has slowed since 2023, but is still rising steadily, according to the Wall Street Journal, and was lauded during the shareholders’ meeting.

Yes, but. While Walmart appears to be taking a victory lap as it gears up to open its new home office campus in 2025, it’s not all smooth pavement.

Keep reading here.—KP

Showing appreciation can go a long way toward making employees more productive and passionate about their work.

That’s why employee-engagement platform Reward Gateway named Nebel Crowhurst as its first-ever chief appreciation officer in April. In her role, Crowhurst, who is also the company’s chief people officer, will try to cultivate a deeper culture of employee appreciation at the company and improve productivity.

Crowhurst spoke with HR Brew about her expanded role and what it means for the organization.

Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Why did Reward Gateway create the chief appreciation officer position?

We have always done significant research reports to help inform what we need to do as an organization to support our clients and the employees within their organizations. One area that we began to explore in the earlier part of this year was appreciation, but very much linked to the economic value of HR and the impact and value that HR brings to an organization. So, that work led us to focus on what that means internally for us.

Keep reading here.—AS

HR’s new AI-pproach. AI is officially entering the HR space. SHRM’s AI Outlook 2024 brought industry leaders together to discuss AI’s transformative role in HR. Tune in to this free on-demand webcast to learn how leaders at SHRM and BambooHR are using AI and putting people first. Watch the keynote + more here.