Bob speaks with Brandon Roberts, VP of Global People Product, Analytics, and AI at ServiceNow. Brandon shares how ServiceNow is navigating AI transformation from within its HR organization, balancing internal experimentation with client-informed innovation. They dive deep into responsible AI practices, strategic reskilling, and cross-functional collaboration, while unpacking key frameworks. Brandon also offers a preview of forthcoming research on the future impact of agentic AI on the workforce and shares actionable insights for HR and business leaders on how to lead with confidence, empathy, and clarity in a rapidly evolving landscape.
Keywords
Responsible AI, Agentic AI, HR transformation, AI Playbook, AI readiness, AI literacy, reskilling, upskilling, internal mobility, ServiceNow, people analytics, AI enablement, human-centric, HR-IT collaboration, future of work, AI governance, workforce planning
Takeaways
ServiceNow’s HR team is leading internal AI adoption while helping shape product development through real-world use and feedback.
The AI Playbook for HR Leaders provides a practical framework that blends vision with tactical execution.
Responsible AI isn’t just a compliance exercise—it's a continuous process requiring monitoring, iteration, and cross-functional governance.
ServiceNow’s AI Control Tower centralizes use case tracking, governance status, adoption metrics, and value realization.
The AI Heat Map approach helps identify which tasks are most ripe for AI augmentation and where reskilling efforts should focus.
Strategic reskilling efforts, like transitioning HR operations roles into people partner roles, show how AI can enable—not replace—human potential.
HR-IT collaboration is essential to enabling governance, product experimentation, and sustained transformation.
Upcoming research from ServiceNow estimates 8 million U.S. roles will be transformed by agentic AI in the next five years.
Quotes
“This is a human transformation, not just a tech transformation.”
“Responsible AI isn’t finished at launch—it needs to be continuously monitored.”
“We call it the AI Heat Map—breaking down roles into tasks to see where AI can really help.”
“Strategic workforce planning needs to evolve into strategic work planning.”
“If AI doubles productivity, it should also unlock opportunities—not eliminate people.”
“We want employees to feel safe using AI and know we’re committed to reskilling, not replacing them.”
Chapters
00:00 – Intro and Brandon’s background
02:00 – Brandon’s unique role in HR and product feedback loops
03:20 – Internal vs. customer-led innovation
04:24 – AI solution inventory and governance
07:18 – AI readiness, literacy, and cultural change
10:00 – Role-based skill development
12:00 – Embedding Responsible AI across the enterprise
14:36 – Balancing innovation with ethical oversight
17:50 – HR and IT collaboration at ServiceNow
20:45 – Agentic AI and workforce planning
23:47 – Case study: reskilling HR ops into people partners
29:03 – Why internal talent is often overlooked
33:21 – The evolving value of analytics in the AI era
36:58 – Importance of data quality and governance
40:32 – How AI will transform every role and industry
46:03 – Banking and reinvesting AI-driven time savings
48:27 – How ServiceNow filters and prioritizes AI ideas
49:18 – Teaser: upcoming research on agentic AI’s impact
51:06 – Personal AI tools and what’s exciting (or scary)
54:04 – Final thoughts and call to action
Brandon Roberts: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-roberts-50796ba
AI Playbook for HR Leaders: https://www.servicenow.com/content/dam/servicenow-assets/public/en-us/doc-type/resource-center/ebook/eb-hr-role-in-ai-transformation.pdf
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