AI in HR: When AI meets HR – who sets the direction?
"In an AI-filled world – how do we make work meaningful for people?"
Louise Harder Fischer, Associate Professor, IT University of Copenhagen
On May 20th, we gathered for one of the year's most well-attended networking events on AI in HR at Mindkey in Copenhagen. The room was filled with HR professionals, leaders, and people working daily with people and technology, and the energy reflected that the topic is currently central to our field.
The day offered two perspectives on the same fundamental question: what happens when AI becomes part of how we work, and what does it demand of us as an organization and as an HR function? Louise Harder Fischer from the IT University of Copenhagen set the human and organizational framework. And John Beckmann, CEO of Mindkey, showed how it looks in practice – with control, transparency, and documentation as the foundation.
From Louise's presentation: HR as an AI Facilitator
AI doesn't impact all functions equally – and change happens whether we plan for it or not. Tasks quietly expand, boundaries dissolve, and expectations rise. This requires an additional layer of facilitation that guides the interaction between people, tasks, and AI.
HR is ideally positioned to take on this role – not as a technology expert, but as the one who connects people, work, and technology, and redesigns the work itself, not just the policies.
From John's presentation: Three things we saw in practice
The AI assistant in Mindkey
Employees can inquire about their own data, leaders can extract cross-functional insights – and all answers are delivered with source attribution and full transparency. AI analyzes and suggests. Humans decide. The system documents.
AI candidate assessment with four perspectives
The AI assistant assesses candidates as the controller (mandatory requirements), the evaluator (preferred requirements), the reader (tone and form), and the skeptic (gaps and doubts). The recruiter decides – each perspective has its source. Full compliance with EU AI Act.
Compliance as a competitive advantage
The EU AI Act comes into force on August 2, 2026. John demonstrated how Mindkey clearly divides responsibility between provider and customer and how two clicks can document compliance live, with an automatic audit trail and timestamp.
What connected the two presentations was a shared fundamental assumption: AI only creates real value when there is structure behind it. Structured HR data, clear rights, human approval, and full documentation are not limitations on AI – they are what make AI responsible and useful in practice.
But Louise added a layer that John cannot necessarily solve with a platform: even the best technology doesn't create meaning on its own. When AI removes the friction of starting a task, work expands imperceptibly. Younger employees lose out on peer training. Experienced employees are reduced to checking AI output rather than using their professional judgment. And for some, constant adaptation leads to an invisible fatigue that weakens reflection and learning.
This is not an argument against AI. It is an argument for AI integration requiring active management of the human element – not as an afterthought, but as the core of the process. Louise uses the term HR AI Facilitator for this role: a function that not only implements tools but continuously redesigns work, establishes common principles, and upholds the values we are unwilling to compromise on.
And that is precisely the conversation we want to continue and revisit at our upcoming webinar on June 17th.
WEBINAR · JUNE 17, 2026 · 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
AI in HR - Expert Insights and Practical Tools
We are holding a mini-version of the network meeting as an online webinar. Were you not able to join on May 20th? Here's your chance. Did you attend? Then you'll get even more – including a live demo of the latest AI features in Mindkey.
Both speakers will be joining again, and there will be time for questions throughout.
Louise Harder Fischer
HR's role from operations to strategic decisions - and how HR itself sets the direction for AI integration
John Beckmann
Live demo: AI assistant, AI candidate assessment, and EU AI Act compliance - what it means for your company from August 2026
The 5 most important takeaways
The AI transformation is happening whether we plan for it or not
AI doesn't impact all functions equally, and the change is happening whether we're ready or not. Tasks are quietly expanding, boundaries are blurring, and expectations are rising, all without anyone explicitly deciding it.
HR's new role is facilitator, not administrator
HR is ideally positioned to connect people, work, and technology.
Responsible AI requires underlying structure
Structured data, clear rights, human approval, and full documentation are not limitations on AI – they are the prerequisites for AI to create real value in practice.
AI must explain itself - not just decide
Mindkey's AI assistant always responds with source attribution – whether it's an employee asking about their own data or a manager extracting cross-functional insights. The same principle applies to candidate assessment, which presents four distinct perspectives with source references. The recruiter makes the final decision.
The EU AI Act is not far off
As of August 2, 2026, specific requirements will apply to companies using AI in HR. Compliance doesn't have to be administratively burdensome – but it requires a solid structure and clearly defined responsibilities.
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