General Assembly Survey Highlights Urgent Need for Practical AI Training in HR

A new survey by General Assembly reveals that while 82% of HR professionals are already using AI in their work, only 30% have received comprehensive, role-specific AI training. The findings highlight a growing gap between AI adoption and the skills needed to use the technology effectively.

Adoption Without Adequate Training

The study shows that although 69% of HR professionals say AI has freed up time for more strategic work and 41% report working fewer hours due to AI, many are left to self-teach. This lack of structured training results in uneven confidence and efficiency across teams.

“AI is transforming every aspect of work, but to harness its full potential, we need to upskill every department, especially HR,” said Daniele Grassi, CEO of General Assembly. “Teams with job-specific AI training are 35% more likely to feel very or completely confident in their AI skills compared to those who learn on their own.”

How HR is Using AI

HR teams are already applying AI in practical ways:

  • Analyzing employee feedback (46%)
  • Writing job descriptions (46%)
  • Designing training materials (45%)

The Training Gap

Outside of the 30% who received job-specific training:

  • 18% received only basic conceptual training
  • 12% received generic AI training not tailored to HR
  • 14% sought out training independently
  • 26% had no formal AI training at all

Generational and industry divides were also noted:

  • 38% of Gen Z HR professionals reported no training
  • 32% of healthcare HR professionals had no training
  • Finance (39%) and professional services (46%) HR professionals were most likely to have comprehensive training

Training Correlates with Confidence

Role-specific training is strongly tied to confidence: 85% of trained HR professionals feel very or completely confident using AI. HR professionals are calling for more practical, hands-on opportunities, with:

  • 70% wanting interactive workshops tailored to HR use cases
  • 63% seeking regular training updates as tools evolve
  • 59% of non-users saying they need HR-specific training to start using AI

Top Areas of Interest

The areas HR professionals most want AI training for include:

  • Workforce planning (47%)
  • Designing training materials (46%)
  • Employee communications (42%)

Mandates vs Encouragement

The survey also found that requiring AI use can backfire. At companies where AI use is mandated, 41% of HR professionals said it created extra work and distractions, compared to only 13% at companies that encourage but do not require AI adoption. Only 6% said leadership mandates motivated them to use AI; instead, they are motivated by goals like improving productivity, reducing workloads, and enhancing work quality.

Learn more about the survey findings here.

Methodology

The survey was conducted by General Assembly from June 9–20, 2025, among 288 HR professionals at organizations with at least 100 employees in the US and UK.

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