Why AI Is Changing HR Faster Than Anyone Expected

In this episode we talk about HR tech, automation, employee experience, sentiment, and workflow design. We sat down with Hubert from Quest Diagnostics live at Oracle AI World and got into the guts of what 56,000 employees really need from HR systems today. This one hits everything from AI-powered scheduling to performance reviews to the messy, very human side of employee sentiment. It’s practical, honest, and grounded in what real teams face every day.

Here's what we covered:

• AI is finally giving HR a chance to get ahead instead of catching up.

• Employees aren’t reading PDFs anymore. They’re asking questions and expecting answers instantly.

• Quest’s 56,000 employees create huge pressure on ticketing, sentiment, and service quality.

• Performance reviews suffer from human bias and memory. AI fixes that.

• Scheduling at scale is broken without automation and rules-based fairness.

• Frontline teams need systems that respect their time and availability.

• Employee surveys every quarter will reveal the real impact of automation next year.

• Change management matters more in HR than almost any other function.

• Healthcare adds a deeper mission layer that shapes how tech gets adopted.

• Sentiment analysis during support conversations is an untapped opportunity.

• Managers with 30 direct reports need automation so they can actually lead.

• AI is becoming a second brain for service centers, not a replacement.

This episode was recorded live at Oracle AI World 2025 as part of a leadership series defining the world of work and AI

Chapters:
00:24 Live at Oracle AI World
01:01 Event energy and why this crowd feels different
01:35 Hubert talks about why AI feels like a turning point
02:15 Why HR is finally ready for real change
02:56 What Hubert does at Quest
03:28 Rolling out new HR modules and AI tools
04:26 The shift from PDFs to conversational workflows
05:10 How employees actually search for answers now
06:24 Paystub agents, call centers, and reducing support load
07:24 Tracking sentiment and service quality
08:30 Help desk automation and ticket summaries
10:07 The performance review problem
11:04 How AI can remove bias and jog managers’ memory
12:30 Oracle scheduling rollout and why it matters
13:54 Shift fairness and hourly worker expectations
16:20 Engagement, surveys, and 2025 expectations
17:56 Culture, values, and healthcare’s mission
19:06 Why speed and accuracy matter in patient-facing work
19:55 Wrapping with humor and German honesty Connect with us

William Tincup LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tincup/Ryan Leary LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanleary/

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