1. A fourth industrial revolution
In recent years, the world of work has undergone significant changes, including the widespread adoption of remote working, changing employee expectations, the transformation of jobs, and the acceleration of automation. We are currently witnessing the early stages of what is being called the fourth industrial revolution. This marks a transition to intelligent and interconnected production systems, made possible by technological advances, in particular the growing use of automation, data exchange, and artificial intelligence (AI).AI encompasses a set of technologies and computer systems capable of simulating certain functions specific to human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, perception, and decision-making. Its goal is to automate cognitive tasks that were previously reserved for humans, ultimately leading to significant gains in productivity and efficiency in the workplace.
This fourth revolution is distinguished by the speed of its spread, the diversity of the sectors affected, and the scale of the transformations it is bringing about. While the technologies it employs may still seem futuristic, their widespread adoption seems inevitable in the short term.
The adoption of AI-related technologies is progressing significantly within Quebec companies. In fact, 57% of them have already integrated these technologies or plan to do so in the near future. Among those that do not plan to use them, the main obstacles cited are lack of resources (48%), lack of time (38%), and limited understanding of AI and its benefits (47%). However, it is clear that AI is now an essential lever for optimizing the productivity and efficiency of organizational processes.
2. And what about human resources management?
According to the International Observatory on the Societal Impacts of AI and Digital Technology (OBVIA), the risk of AI causing massive job losses remains relatively low. Instead, we should expect profound changes in the very nature of work in many sectors and types of jobs.
In this context, human resources professionals will play a key role in supporting organizations through these major changes. This will involve, on the one hand, adapting organizational practices to integrate AI in an ethical, legal, and effective manner and, on the other hand, evolving the human resources profession itself, taking into account technological advances.
In particular, HR professionals will need to support the development of workforce skills to meet new new market demands. Basic skills, such as numeracy, will be essential in enabling employees to adapt to the digital shift.
But what is numeracy? Numeracy is defined as a person’s ability to understand and use mathematical concepts in order to master the quantitative and spatial information necessary to function independently in society.
In addition to ensuring the evolution of workforce skills, HR will also need to manage the effects of AI on job structures, particularly with regard to the creation, elimination, or transformation of roles, by promoting employee retraining.
Furthermore, AI is seen as an opportunity to reduce HR costs, improve management practices, and strengthen the strategic role of HR professionals within organizations. By automating some of the repetitive tasks associated with the HR function, AI allows professionals to devote more time to complex, high-value-added activities, while offering them the opportunity to base their decisions on evidence rather than relying solely on intuition or experience, which have long been predominant in this field.
3. Some examples of AI integration in human resources management
AI is gradually being integrated into several areas of human resources management, including recruitment, employee support, and performance evaluation.
To date, AI is most widely used in the recruitment sector. AI saves considerable time by automating the processing, analysis, and sorting of applications based on job descriptions, selection criteria, and desired skills. Its use also provides an opportunity to limit the cognitive biases often present in human selection processes — a point we will return to later. Some tools even go so far as to automatically invite selected candidates to online interviews via conversational agents, or chatbots.
However, the use of these chatbots goes beyond recruitment. They can assist employees in their daily tasks by responding to common requests such as changing insurance coverage, answering questions about vacation policy, or submitting leave requests.
Finally, AI also has the potential to change staff evaluation practices. Rather than relying on direct supervision, organizations can now remotely collect a variety of data from sensors, GPS systems, and sociometric badges or access to highlight trends in employee behavior, interactions, and performance. This data is then analyzed by AI to support decisions regarding performance management and productivity.
These examples illustrate a tiny fraction of AI’s potential. In theory, these applications are particularly attractive to organizations, mainly because of the time and productivity gains they promise. However, in practice, integrating AI into the workplace in Quebec raises major issues, particularly in terms of ethics and legal considerations.
4. AI at work: what are the ethical and legal issues?
Among the issues raised by AI in human resources management are data quality, discrimination, the collection and use of personal data, fair and equitable decision-making that respects the fundamental rights of workers, and the possibility of appealing these decisions.
Data quality
First, it is important to understand that AI was initially developed in sectors where data collection is both abundant and relatively simple to carry out. Marketing is a good example, as it is easy to measure quantitative indicators such as the number of purchases made by customers for a given product. In human resources, however, the situation is quite different. The amount of data available to train reliable algorithms is often limited.
On the one hand, this data concerns employees, which means that its volume depends on the number of people within the organization, but also on the number of relevant events that can be collected. For example, if you want to analyze the reasons why employees leave, there must have been a sufficient number of resignations for the data collected to be meaningful and usable.
On the other hand, the collection of information in HR depends largely on the willingness and participation of employees.
Unlike other sectors, human resources management does not yet have widespread systematic data collection mechanisms, which complicates the reliable and effective use of AI in this field. Poor data quality, combined with an unreliable algorithm, can lead to inaccurate or even erroneous results.
Discriminatory biases
It is important to remember that AI cannot replicate human intuition due to the complexity of how consciousness works. Furthermore, as it is designed by people operating in specific social, political, and cultural contexts, AI remains influenced by these realities.
As a result, several discriminatory biases can creep into algorithms over time. Studies show, for example, that some systems favor traits associated with men for promotions, or favor candidates based on their place of residence, thereby compromising equal opportunity. In theory, well-programmed AI could help reduce human biases, whether conscious or unconscious. In practice, it can reproduce, or even amplify, the biases it was supposed to correct.
Protection of personal information
As mentioned in a previous article, the collection of employees’ personal information must be carried out in a manner that respects their privacy and complies with applicable legislation. Employers therefore have a dual responsibility to ensure that this collection is compliant, while protecting the data once it has been obtained. In practice, however, this proves to be complex given the sheer volume of data collected, processed, and analyzed by AI, which significantly increases the risk of breaches of confidentiality.
This situation is all the more concerning given that the CHRP Association has already highlighted the difficulties encountered by companies in complying with the Act to modernize legislative provisions as regards the protection of personal information, a law that is considered complex and demanding to apply. In this context, it is legitimate to question the ability of organizations to fully comply with these obligations, particularly as AI takes on an increasingly important role in the workplace.
Decision-making and appeals
We are now aware that, although AI can be a useful decision-making tool for human resources professionals and managers, it also has significant limitations. The data on which these decisions are based may be inaccurate, biased, or even erroneous. This raises a fundamental question: when a decision based on the results generated by an
AI platform is contested, or infringes on a worker’s rights, who should be held responsible? The algorithm designer, the employer (client), or the direct user?
At first glance, the answer may seem obvious: many will instinctively point to the user or employer as responsible. However, if the employer pays for the services of a specialized AI platform, shouldn’t they be able to rely on it?
The issue warrants further exploration, as the lines of responsibility remain blurred.
With this in mind, the Ordre des CRHA recommends implementing measures to increase transparency in the use of algorithms in human resources management. It proposes that automated systems be supervised by qualified personnel and that workers have a genuine right to challenge decisions made by these technologies.
5. Conclusion
The integration of AI into the workplace, and more specifically into human resources management, marks a decisive step in the digital transformation of organizations. While it promises considerable gains in efficiency and performance, it also raises important ethical, legal, and organizational issues. For AI to contribute positively to the evolution of workplaces, its deployment must be carefully considered, supervised, and supported by responsible practices. The HR function has a central role to play here: by guiding the adoption of AI in a humane and informed manner, it becomes an essential lever for organizational sustainability.
One thing is certain: the gradual arrival of AI in the workplace will inevitably raise many questions, both because of the changes it brings to human resources practices and because of the legal uncertainty that still surrounds its use. In this context of major technological transformation, it is essential that organizations receive the support they need to navigate with confidence and rigor.
At Loranger Marcoux, we position ourselves as a strategic partner of choice to support our clients in this transition. Thanks to our expertise at the intersection of labor law and human resources, we are able to offer customized support that is proactive, ethical, and compliant with legal requirements.
[1] Nations Unies, Conseil économique et social, Commission de la science et de la technique au service du développement. (2022, 28 mars – 1er avril). Vingt-cinquième session : Science et technique au service du développement — La quatrième révolution industrielle au service d’un développement inclusif (Point 3 a) de l’ordre du jour provisoire). Genève, p.6
[2] Chevalier, F., & Dejoux, C. (2021, septembre). Intelligence artificielle et management des ressources humaines : pratiques d’entreprises. HEC Paris, Laboratoire GREGHEC et Cnam, Laboratoire LIRSA. Enjeux numériques – N°15 – Annales des Mines, p. 95
[3] Nations Unies, Conseil économique et social, Commission de la science et de la technique au service du développement. (2022, 28 mars – 1er avril). Vingt-cinquième session : Science et technique au service du développement — La quatrième révolution industrielle au service d’un développement inclusif (Point 3 a) de l’ordre du jour provisoire). Genève, p.7
[4] Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés. (2024, 5 septembre). Intelligence artificielle en entreprise : nouveau sondage sur les défis RH. https://ordrecrha.org/decouvrir-lordre/publications-et-media/communiques/intelligence-artificielle-entreprise-defis-rh
[5] Office québécois de la langue française. (2018). Numératie. Grand dictionnaire terminologique. https://vitrinelinguistique.oq…
[6] Jacob, S., Souissi, S., & Patenaude, N. (2022). Intelligence artificielle et transformation des métiers en gestion des ressources humaines. Chaire de recherche sur l’administration publique à l’ère numérique, Université Laval.
[7] Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés. (2024, 5 septembre). Intelligence artificielle en entreprise : nouveau sondage sur les défis RH. https://ordrecrha.org/decouvrir-lordre/publications-et-media/communiques/intelligence-artificielle-entreprise-defis-rh., P.18
[8] Jacob, S., Souissi, S., & Patenaude, N. (2022). Intelligence artificielle et transformation des métiers en gestion des ressources humaines. Chaire de recherche sur l’administration publique à l’ère numérique, Université Laval. P. 3
[9] Chevalier, F., & Dejoux, C. (2021, septembre). Intelligence artificielle et management des ressources humaines : pratiques d’entreprises. HEC Paris, Laboratoire GREGHEC et Cnam, Laboratoire LIRSA. Enjeux numériques – N°15 – Annales des Mines, p. 96
[10] Jacob, S., Souissi, S., & Patenaude, N. (2022). Intelligence artificielle et transformation des métiers en gestion des ressources humaines. Chaire de recherche sur l’administration publique à l’ère numérique, Université Laval. P. 5
[11] Chevalier, F., & Dejoux, C. (2021, septembre). Intelligence artificielle et management des ressources humaines : pratiques d’entreprises. HEC Paris, Laboratoire GREGHEC et Cnam, Laboratoire LIRSA. Enjeux numériques – N°15 – Annales des Mines, p. 101
[12] Jacob, S., Souissi, S., & Patenaude, N. (2022). Intelligence artificielle et transformation des métiers en gestion des ressources humaines. Chaire de recherche sur l’administration publique à l’ère numérique, Université Laval. P. 13
[13] Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés. (2024, 5 septembre). Intelligence artificielle en entreprise : nouveau sondage sur les défis RH. https://ordrecrha.org/decouvrir-lordre/publications-et-media/communiques/intelligence-artificielle-entreprise-defis-rh., P.21
[14] Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés. (2024, 5 septembre). Intelligence artificielle en entreprise : nouveau sondage sur les défis RH. https://ordrecrha.org/decouvrir-lordre/publications-et-media/communiques/intelligence-artificielle-entreprise-defis-rh., P.25
[15] Observatoire international sur les impacts sociétaux de l’IA et du numérique (OBVIA). (2024). État de la situation sur les impacts sociétaux de l’intelligence artificielle et du numérique. P. 10
