Gartner’s latest report confirms what many HR leaders already see happening inside their own organizations: AI is no longer an IT experiment. It is becoming the foundation for how HR operates. 

That shift represents a major opportunity and a leadership moment. Gartner names “harnessing AI to revolutionize HR” as the top priority for CHROs in 2026. The question is no longer whether HR should use AI. It is how HR can lead the enterprise in using it well. 

At Cascade, we see HR teams already taking the lead. They are using AI to move faster, simplify complexity, and reimagine how work gets done. Here are four ways CHROs are turning AI from a buzzword into an execution engine: 

1. Redesign how work gets done
   AI is freeing HR from the work that once slowed it down. When AI handles Tier 0 and Tier 1 requests such as PTO balances or benefits eligibility, HR teams gain back hours every week. One global customer automated more than half of its inbound HR questions, giving business partners time to focus on talent, culture, and capability growth instead of administrative backlogs. 

2. Connect HR systems into one intelligence layer
   HR data lives in every corner of the organization: HRIS, payroll, benefits, learning, and collaboration tools. AI can finally bring it together. By connecting these systems into a single intelligence layer, HR leaders gain a unified view of how work happens. No more fragmented workflows or repeated handoffs. It is the difference between managing requests and managing the entire employee experience. 

3. Use real-time insights to make better decisions
   With AI, HR can see patterns as they happen. When hundreds of employees begin searching for information about family leave or new benefits, that is a signal. Cascade AI surfaces these insights so HR can act quickly. One customer used early data to adjust its benefits communication plan and saw measurable gains in employee satisfaction. 

4. Build the blueprint for AI-first functions
   Once HR adopts an AI-first operating model, the same approach can extend across the enterprise. Finance, Operations, and Legal can all follow HR’s lead. The same principles of secure integrations, trusted data, and function-led governance scale naturally. HR becomes the model for how every function uses AI responsibly and transparently. 

The message is clear: HR does not need to wait for IT to lead this change. The function that knows people best is also the one best positioned to help the enterprise work smarter, faster, and with more empathy. 

Cascade is building with that conviction. HR’s leadership in AI is not optional. It is the foundation for how work will get done next.