HR Brew heads to HR Tech

The annual HR Technology conference is set to begin this week in Las Vegas, and HR Brew is headed to the Strip to check it out again this year.

We know AI is top of mind. The conference sessions focus a lot on operationalizing AI and the tech and data that’s needed to succeed, proving AI’s ROI, and HR’s responsibility to redesign work that fits enterprise-wide AI orchestrations. But we all know the AI story isn’t the same for every HR leader or for every company, and we’ll be at the Mandalay Bay with one big question burning brighter than the rest: Where’s AI actually changing how work gets done and what’s still blowhard AI hype?

What’s new and consequential. We’re hoping to see what’s emerging as best practices for real impact, not just flash. As AI implementation is a major focus, we’ll chat with vendors about their latest AI-powered platforms and tools, but we’ll also look beyond the buzzy claims or tee’d up demos to better understand what’s genuinely transformational for HR. We know by now it’s the people that make the transformation possible, not simply the tech.

We’ve booked meetings with some cutting edge HR and enterprise software vendors: SAP, Oracle, isolved, Workday, Greenhouse, Eightfold, and more. A number of major players already in your tech stack are set to announce new features or tools this week. We’ll meet with the folks behind these new products to see how AI is upending people ops to really understand the impact.

Shark tank. We’ll also meet with startup founders (who love to talk about their startups) and put you on to any must-have transformative tools you’re not hearing about from your HCM vendor or your HR transformation consultant. Some startups will also compete in a Shark Tank-style pitch fest this year and we’ll try to better understand what unique problems in HR—from job descriptions to employee exits—that folks are trying to tackle in the startup space. Pitch fest also helps us understand what emerging tech the industry analysts and its investors and funders are excited about and what you might see more of in the coming year. Plus, it’s a cute photo op when excited startup founders receive a giant novelty check.

HR and espionage. Tech is remaking everything…including global espionage (potentially, accidentally?). So recruiters are now faced with a growing problem: figuring out who’s actually applying to open roles. Deepfakes, interview proxies, and AI-powered candidate fraud are clogging talent pipelines and disrupting the already tiring process.

But risks extend beyond wasting recruiting time: US employers are facing new concerns from North Korean IT workers or other foreign state actors working to obtain jobs and access corporate systems and sensitive or proprietary information. HR’s response increasingly requires coordination with IT, cybersecurity experts, and identity-verification vendors or personnel. We want to know what you NEED to know about spycraft…as it relates to HR.

Exciting and important stuff.