Back to All Episodes
HR’s AI Reality Check: Risk, Fear, and the Case for Human Judgment
About this episode
Transcript
About this episode
In this episode, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Marni Helfand, General Counsel and Chief Human Resources Officer at The Planet Group, to unpack what happens when legal risk, recruiting automation, and executive fear collide.
From her rare position at the intersection of HR and employment law, Marni explains why the biggest risk isn’t using AI—it’s not using it. She walks through her team’s real-world experiments with AI recruiting tools, how they discovered hidden weaknesses in job descriptions, and why even “safe” automation can backfire without human judgment in the loop.
This conversation goes beyond compliance. It’s about helping HR evolve from paralyzed to proactive—by starting small, learning fast, and staying human.
Topics Discussed:
How an AI recruiting tool rejected 100 candidates in 25 minutes—without human review
Why HR’s real risk isn’t legal exposure—it’s fear and inertia
A simple prompt that unlocks small wins: “Wouldn’t it be great if…”
What Marni learned from running an AI recruiting pilot at a staffing firm
Why most job descriptions are sabotaging your AI efforts
A compliance-first approach to choosing the right AI vendors
The HR cat-and-mouse game: AI-savvy candidates vs. AI screeners
Why employee relations won’t disappear—but how AI can improve its output
A call for mid-career HR pros to make the business case, not just wait for permission
If you’re an HR leader wrestling with legal risk, executive hesitation, or your own uncertainty around AI, this episode offers a practical lens for moving forward—without losing the human core of your work.
Additional resources:
Cleary’s AI-powered HR Chatbot
Future Proof HR Community
Marni Helfand on LinkedIn
About this episode
Transcript
About this episode
In this episode, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Marni Helfand, General Counsel and Chief Human Resources Officer at The Planet Group, to unpack what happens when legal risk, recruiting automation, and executive fear collide.
From her rare position at the intersection of HR and employment law, Marni explains why the biggest risk isn’t using AI—it’s not using it. She walks through her team’s real-world experiments with AI recruiting tools, how they discovered hidden weaknesses in job descriptions, and why even “safe” automation can backfire without human judgment in the loop.
This conversation goes beyond compliance. It’s about helping HR evolve from paralyzed to proactive—by starting small, learning fast, and staying human.
Topics Discussed:
How an AI recruiting tool rejected 100 candidates in 25 minutes—without human review
Why HR’s real risk isn’t legal exposure—it’s fear and inertia
A simple prompt that unlocks small wins: “Wouldn’t it be great if…”
What Marni learned from running an AI recruiting pilot at a staffing firm
Why most job descriptions are sabotaging your AI efforts
A compliance-first approach to choosing the right AI vendors
The HR cat-and-mouse game: AI-savvy candidates vs. AI screeners
Why employee relations won’t disappear—but how AI can improve its output
A call for mid-career HR pros to make the business case, not just wait for permission
If you’re an HR leader wrestling with legal risk, executive hesitation, or your own uncertainty around AI, this episode offers a practical lens for moving forward—without losing the human core of your work.
Additional resources:
Cleary’s AI-powered HR Chatbot
Future Proof HR Community
Marni Helfand on LinkedIn
About this episode
Transcript
About this episode
In this episode, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Marni Helfand, General Counsel and Chief Human Resources Officer at The Planet Group, to unpack what happens when legal risk, recruiting automation, and executive fear collide.
From her rare position at the intersection of HR and employment law, Marni explains why the biggest risk isn’t using AI—it’s not using it. She walks through her team’s real-world experiments with AI recruiting tools, how they discovered hidden weaknesses in job descriptions, and why even “safe” automation can backfire without human judgment in the loop.
This conversation goes beyond compliance. It’s about helping HR evolve from paralyzed to proactive—by starting small, learning fast, and staying human.
Topics Discussed:
How an AI recruiting tool rejected 100 candidates in 25 minutes—without human review
Why HR’s real risk isn’t legal exposure—it’s fear and inertia
A simple prompt that unlocks small wins: “Wouldn’t it be great if…”
What Marni learned from running an AI recruiting pilot at a staffing firm
Why most job descriptions are sabotaging your AI efforts
A compliance-first approach to choosing the right AI vendors
The HR cat-and-mouse game: AI-savvy candidates vs. AI screeners
Why employee relations won’t disappear—but how AI can improve its output
A call for mid-career HR pros to make the business case, not just wait for permission
If you’re an HR leader wrestling with legal risk, executive hesitation, or your own uncertainty around AI, this episode offers a practical lens for moving forward—without losing the human core of your work.
Additional resources:
Cleary’s AI-powered HR Chatbot
Future Proof HR Community
Marni Helfand on LinkedIn
Subscribe for the latest updates and insights on future-proofing HR.
About the guest
About the guest
Marni Helfand
Marni Helfand became General Counsel and CHRO after several years practicing employment law. Marni oversees all legal and HR functions including providing training, advising on all areas of compliance, negotiating client agreements, managing litigation, and protecting the company's intellectual property. After leaving private practice with the law firm of Littler Mendelson, most of her career has been spent in the staffing and consulting industries. Prior to beginning her career, Marni received her Bachelor's Degree in Industrial and Labor Relations form Cornell University, and attained her JD Law Degree from Northwestern University's School of Law.
Marni Helfand became General Counsel and CHRO after several years practicing employment law. Marni oversees all legal and HR functions including providing training, advising on all areas of compliance, negotiating client agreements, managing litigation, and protecting the company's intellectual property. After leaving private practice with the law firm of Littler Mendelson, most of her career has been spent in the staffing and consulting industries. Prior to beginning her career, Marni received her Bachelor's Degree in Industrial and Labor Relations form Cornell University, and attained her JD Law Degree from Northwestern University's School of Law.
Marni Helfand became General Counsel and CHRO after several years practicing employment law. Marni oversees all legal and HR functions including providing training, advising on all areas of compliance, negotiating client agreements, managing litigation, and protecting the company's intellectual property. After leaving private practice with the law firm of Littler Mendelson, most of her career has been spent in the staffing and consulting industries. Prior to beginning her career, Marni received her Bachelor's Degree in Industrial and Labor Relations form Cornell University, and attained her JD Law Degree from Northwestern University's School of Law.
The leading podcast for the future of HR
The leading podcast for the future of HR
The leading podcast for the future of HR
The future of HR is being shaped by real operators doing the work.
If you’ve led change, navigated challenges, or learned valuable lessons in people operations, we’d love to hear your perspective.
Apply below to be considered as a guest on the show.
The future of HR is being shaped by real operators doing the work.
If you’ve led change, navigated challenges, or learned valuable lessons in people operations, we’d love to hear your perspective.
Apply below to be considered as a guest on the show.
The future of HR is being shaped by real operators doing the work.
If you’ve led change, navigated challenges, or learned valuable lessons in people operations, we’d love to hear your perspective.
Apply below to be considered as a guest on the show.