New UC Irvine professional certification program looks to bring HR into AI transformation

Flight attendants kindly remind travelers ahead of each commercial flight to “put your oxygen mask on first, before helping others.” A similar logic is behind a new executive leadership program for HR leaders.

The UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business is partnering with the California-based HR technology and consulting firm Konnect on a new certification program, billed “The Future of HR: AI Strategy & Leadership.” The program aims to equip senior HR pros and C-suite people leaders with the needed foundational AI knowledge and strategic frameworks to embark on a human-focused AI transformation.

The program launches in July and is aimed at HR executives, CHROs, and other senior people leaders as HR teams increasingly take on the intersection of workforce transformation and AI adoption.

“The intersection of AI and human capital is one of the most consequential leadership challenges of our time,” Merage School Dean Ian O. Williamson said in a statement. “The future of work demands leaders who can think strategically about AI. Not just adopt it, but architect it in ways that strengthen organizations and the people within them.”

AI is appearing in new ways across the workforce, and conversation has largely centered around tools and productivity gains. But the new program positions HR executives as the strategic designers of a broader enterprise AI strategy and workplace transformation.

“I think that the big fear overall in any department, whether it be finance, accounting, marketing, and IT, whatever, there’s this fear of AI taking over their roles,” Jamie Viramontes, former HR executive and founder and CEO of Konnect, told HR Brew. “HR people are in a prime position to be able to lead that cultural shift” and help reskill, redefine roles, and ultimately, squelch any fears around AI.

HR leaders are increasingly being pulled into strategic conversations about the technology’s deployment that historically were led by IT, finance, or operations. The program is designed to help bring technical fluency to organizational leadership amid change, its creators say. The curriculum aims to address AI-powered HR strategies inside the HR function, workforce transformation, data-driven decision-making, and AI implementation.

“Let’s give these HR leaders the tools and the education prior to jumping into AI in their own organization,” Viramontes said. “So they can figure out from the beginning: What’s the strategy? Who should own it? Who should be involved? What does it look like? How do I actually go through change management internally? What’s the communication plan?”

The move, Viramontes said, comes as more HR leaders are addressing mounting pressures from boards and CEOs to operationalize AI while also addressing employee skepticism and fears, and compliance and governance concerns.

“The more that we can take the lead on creating that strategy, the better position we’re going to be in,” he said.