The topic of artificial intelligence and the future of the "Human Resources" profession has sparked tremendous interest among the readers of Career Daily News. Following our first publication, in which we gathered nearly 40 opinions from HR directors, company leaders, representatives of HR agencies and job platforms, we continue the conversation with more expert perspectives.

If you missed the first part, you can read it HERE.

Because AI is no longer a topic of the future - it is part of everyday business and is changing the way companies attract, develop, and retain talent. As technology evolves, questions about how the role of HR professionals will transform, which skills will be most valuable, and where the irreplaceable role of humans remains become increasingly relevant.

In this second part, we posed the same question to more leading experts in the field of human resources:

"How do you think AI will change the role of HR professionals in the next 2–3 years - will it be a threat to the profession or the strongest tool in the hands of HR leaders?"

The new opinions complement the picture with practical experience, different viewpoints, and specific forecasts on how AI will change the HR profession in the coming years.

Maria Stoeva (CEO & Executive Consultant)

"Have you heard that joke: what does HR do when they retire? Nothing again. Well, for the HR people in the joke, AI is a big threat, yes.

All activities that do not bring real value to people and business - and this should be the essence of the HR function - can now be transferred to AI or automated in various ways. Administration, standard reports, template job postings, mechanical filtering of CVs, generic policies, meaningless presentations - all of this is becoming faster and cheaper.

Are there HR professionals whose work mainly consists of this? Oh yes, I have worked with such people, and what will they do when they are laid off if they are not already - I hope they have other talents or hobbies.

As for the others - the true professionals who understand the business, build culture, develop leaders, recognize problems before they turn into crises, make tough decisions, manage change, create trust, and protect the interests of both people and the organization - they will not be replaced; on the contrary - they will move to the next level: HR 2.0.

My definition of the abbreviation AI does not stop at Artificial Intelligence. For me, it mainly means Augmented Intelligence – intelligence that enhances human judgment, speed, analysis, and thus impact.

Good HR professionals will be accelerated, augmented, and freed from low-value work to focus on what the function exists for. And frankly, I believe this is very, very good news."

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Milena Atanasova (People & Culture Business Partner at ARS Bulgaria)

"Artificial intelligence can be a very good tool in the hands of those responsible for human capital in organizations.

My experience has shown that the superlative does not work, so I avoid it - there is always room for improvement. This is the idea of progress. For me, MORE- is more than BEST- 

Therefore, I would not say that AI is the BEST tool, as it improves every day and learns very quickly. I wouldn't even call it a tool... AI can be like a colleague. I say "like" because it cannot be a full-fledged colleague and cannot replace a colleague - that is clear. But in recent years, it has developed a lot and is becoming an increasingly complex algorithm - it even captures the intonation and style of its individual users. That is, it can be a good chatbot, an avatar for onboarding or employee training, a substitute for automating correspondence related to repetitive tasks... AI can also be perfectly used in document administration, as a filter in pre-selection based on documents during recruitment, for data analysis, for process automation, for comparing data from official sources... It even does a good job as an editor and proofreader of texts. There are many things, and for me, AI is a good tool. And no, it is not a threat at all. It is trained and guided by us, it has no will of its own and potential to make decisions. That is, it depends on us how much we allow it to influence us... Rather, AI carries serious potential for ethical issues, but that is another very big topic that will be given special attention in the future."

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Marta Popova (HR Manager at MAKRO-KOR Ltd.)

"Artificial intelligence will not change the HR profession. It will change the value of true human communication.

I believe that in the next two to three years, AI will be neither a threat nor a savior for the HR profession. It will simply force us to answer a fundamental question: who are we as professionals when we are no longer engaged in a large part of administrative work.

Document processing, data analysis, automating repetitive processes, initial candidate selection, and extracting valuable information from vast data sets will increasingly become the natural territory of artificial intelligence. And this is good news. For the first time, we have the opportunity to free our most valuable resource, time, and invest it where HR has always created the most value, in people.
Because human resources have never been just processes. They are trust. They are that difficult conversation in which an employee first admits that they are on the brink of professional burnout. They are the ability to sense that a valuable person has already decided to leave, even before they have said it themselves. They are the skill to read silence, hesitation, body language, and sometimes the words that were never spoken.
I wholeheartedly believe in the power of live communication and timely, sincere feedback. For me, this is the true food for champions. It is these moments that build trust, engagement, and organizational culture that no technology can create on its own. Algorithms can recognize patterns, analyze behaviors, and suggest solutions, but they cannot build human connection. They can interpret emotions, but they cannot experience them. They can generate a response, but they cannot be the person someone chooses to trust.
Therefore, I do not believe that AI will replace HR professionals. Rather, I believe it will change the way we measure their value. Administrative skills will gradually cease to be our main competitive advantage. Emotional intelligence, the ability to inspire, to lead difficult conversations, to earn trust, and to understand the person beyond their results will become increasingly valuable.
I would even venture a bolder prediction. In ten or fifteen years, the most sought-after and highly valued HR leaders will not be those who skillfully use artificial intelligence, because this will be a basic skill for everyone. The most valuable will be those who have preserved the ability to communicate honestly, openly, and with empathy. Because when technologies become accessible to all, the only sustainable competitive advantage will be that which cannot be programmed, the human presence.
For me, AI will be the strongest tool in the hands of HR leaders. But leadership has never been about tools. It has always been and will always be about people."

Elisaveta Pavlova (HR Manager at DataArt)

"I do not believe that AI is a threat to the HR profession. On the contrary, in the coming years it will be one of the strongest tools in the hands of HR professionals and leaders. AI will help automate a number of administrative and repetitive processes that today require significant time and resources, allowing HR teams to focus on activities with higher added value. Technologies can optimize processes, but they cannot replace human judgment, empathy, and the ability to build trust and relationships. It is precisely the combination of technology and human expertise that will make the HR function more effective and more strategic for the business."

Teodora Boyadzhieva (Head of People & Culture, StorPool Storage)

"I do not think that AI can be unequivocally defined as a threat or an opportunity. For me, it is a tool. And as with any tool, everything depends on how we use it.

I see how artificial intelligence is changing the way we work - automating routine tasks, saving time, facilitating information analysis, and allowing us to be more efficient. This is a huge opportunity, especially when we can direct the freed-up time towards work that requires more creativity, strategic thinking, and communication with people.

At the same time, I do not believe that AI can replace the most valuable human qualities. It can process vast amounts of information, but it does not understand context the way a person does. It does not take responsibility for decisions, does not build trust, and does not exhibit empathy. These qualities will become increasingly important as technology develops.

In my opinion, the biggest challenge is not AI itself, but our ability to adapt to changes. The world has always changed due to new technologies, and each such change has created new professions, transformed existing ones, and changed the skills that employers seek. I do not think this time will be different.

Rather, I expect AI to change the labor market rather than "replace" it. Some activities will inevitably be automated, but at the same time, new roles, new specializations, and different expectations of people will emerge. Not only technical knowledge will become increasingly valuable, but also the ability to learn, adapt, think critically, and work effectively with new technologies. I believe that the potential for development will carry more weight in the selection of people because knowledge and tools are changing at an unprecedented pace.

Therefore, I do not view AI with fear. I see it as an opportunity to work smarter, not just harder. I believe that people who can combine technology with critical thinking, professional expertise, and human touch will continue to be the most valuable resource for any organization.

Ultimately, I do not think that AI will replace people. Rather, I believe it will change the way we work and give an advantage to those who are ready to adapt, learn, and use new opportunities wisely."

Maria Ravenka (HR Manager at Abrites)

In the last decade, the HR role has undergone constant change, accompanied by active digitalization and optimization, and currently, AI is further accelerating this momentum.

AI could be the convenient tool that frees up time from routine administrative tasks, report preparation, data processing, and other repetitive operations. As we have already observed, some responsibilities of certain HR roles have begun to fall away, while others are being completely transformed.

I believe that an important task will be to maintain critical thinking. AI can offer solutions, but it cannot understand the organizational context, does not notice the nuances in relationships between people, does not build trust, does not recognize the dynamics in the company, and most importantly, does not take responsibility for the decisions made.

Therefore, HR will remain the guardian of organizational culture, empathy, and ethics. It will be the bridge between people and technology, carrying the responsibility for human judgment, emotional intelligence, and strategic thinking. 

Link to the first article with nearly 40 opinions from HR directors, company leaders, representatives of HR agencies and job platforms, we continue the conversation with more expert perspectives.