Day 11 » Daily Briefings: AI Disruption Signals: The Heed Report - December 30, 2025

Today’s Briefing

Gartner — GenAI Adoption in HR Jumps from 19% to 61% in 18 Months

Gartner’s January 2025 data shows GenAI adoption in HR has exploded: the share of HR leaders actively planning or already deploying GenAI jumped from 19% in June 2023 to 61% by January 2025. HR leaders estimate that 37% of the workforce will be impacted by GenAI in the next two to five years, up from 27% in November 2024. Additionally, 44% of HR leaders say their function plans to use semiautonomous AI agent capabilities in the next 12 months, with two-thirds of HR leaders trusting that AI agents will act in ways that benefit the employee experience. The shift: HR is moving from “should we use AI?” to “how do we deploy autonomous AI agents?” Full Report

Phenom — Only 25% of Organizations Have Scaled AI Beyond Pilots

Despite widespread AI adoption, Phenom’s 2025 Talent Trends research reveals only 25% of organizations have successfully scaled their AI initiatives beyond pilot phase. The gap: companies are experimenting with AI but struggling to move from proof-of-concept to enterprise-wide transformation. Scaling AI requires three pillars according to Deloitte’s Greg Vert: (1) data readiness—clean, connected, comprehensive datasets, (2) governance frameworks—clear policies and oversight, (3) measurable goals—defined ROI metrics. Organizations like Majid Al Futtaim that invested in data normalization are seeing AI deliver actionable insights, while those without data infrastructure remain stuck in pilots. Full Article

Mercer — 84% of HR Leaders Predict HR Will Become More Automated and Tech-Enabled

Mercer’s 2025 research on agentic AI shows 84% of HR leaders predict the HR function will become more automated and tech-enabled. The distinction: agentic AI differs from basic automation because it learns, perceives, reasons, plans, and makes decisions autonomously using large language models. This autonomy creates both opportunity (efficiency gains, 24/7 availability) and risk (harmful decisions, unintended consequences). Mercer emphasizes that change management is critical: even positive change brings stress and uncertainty that can harm trust, engagement, and productivity. Organizations must communicate clearly how AI changes will affect employees and co-create new ways of working. Full Article

Why this matters: HR moved from pilot to production in 2025. GenAI adoption jumped from 19% to 61% in 18 months, and HR leaders now estimate 37% of the workforce will be impacted by GenAI in the next 2-5 years. The shift isn’t just about using AI—it’s about deploying autonomous AI agents that make decisions without constant human input. But 75% of organizations are still stuck in pilot phase, unable to scale. The 25% that successfully scale have three things: clean data infrastructure, governance frameworks, and measurable goals. If your HR team is still running pilots in 2026, you’re falling behind organizations that moved to production in 2025.

For paid subscribers: Sunday’s analysis maps the three phases of AI maturity (pilot, production, autonomous agents), which HR tasks are ready for autonomous AI vs. which require human oversight, and the change management playbook for moving from pilots to scaled deployment without breaking trust.