Future of HR and AI: The Mindset and Skills You Need Now

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Tara Blythe, Chief People Officer at Infotech, to break down what “future-ready leadership” really means in the age of AI. Tara explains why AI is less a threat to humanity and more a catalyst for becoming more human, as leaders relearn curiosity, creativity, and critical judgment. She shares her “AC cheat code” framework, combining Action (agility, agency, adaptability) with Connection (communication, curation, curiosity), and talks about how Infotech embeds AI into OKRs, runs safe-to-fail pilots, and uses culture to remove the stigma of using AI at work. Tara also explores why job descriptions have become outdated artifacts, how different industries are adopting AI at very different speeds, and why HR’s future is organizational transformation, not paperwork.

Topics Discussed:

• Why AI can make work more human, not less

• What history tells us about every major tech shift

• The AC cheat code: Action + Connection skills for the AI era

• Relearning curiosity and creativity as core leadership capabilities

• Embedding AI into strategy, OKRs, and everyday workflows

• Culture, stigma, and making AI experimentation “safe to try”

• HR’s evolution into an organizational transformation function

Additional Resources:

• Cleary’s AI-powered HR Chatbot

• Future Proof HR Community

• Connect with Tara Blythe on LinkedIn