Before our 2nd AI automation project on 19/3/26, I asked all team members in the project to list out their wishlist.

Not what system to buy.
Not what software to try.

Just one simple thing.
“What do you want to fix in your daily work?”

Angela Fong , our HR manager, came back with her list.

I expected something long.
Instead, it was short. Clear. Very real.

Her focus was simple:

Too much manual HR and admin work
Hiring taking too long, sometimes wrong fit
Onboarding depends too much on who is guiding
Training is not consistent
Reports take time, but give little insight

Then she said something that made me pause.

“Boss, HR is spending too much time managing process… not people.”

She didn’t propose something complicated.

Just five things. Step by step.

AI HR Assistant : handle daily questions, leave, simple processes
AI Recruitment : screen candidates faster, better matching
Weekly Report Automation : reduce manual reporting
AI Onboarding : guide new hires consistently
AI Training : structured learning for staff

No big transformation story.

That was the turning point for me.
Many firms talk about AI like strategy.
Angela talked about AI like daily work.

Very grounded.
Very real.

Here’s what I learnt.
The biggest problem is not lack of tools.
It is the invisible workload.
The repetitive work that slowly drains your best people.

HR ends up doing admin.
Managers end up chasing reports.
Training becomes inconsistent.

AI, if used properly, is not about replacing people.
It is about returning people to their real job.

HR should focus on people.
Not forms.
Not follow-ups.
Not repeated questions.

Looking at Angela’s list, I realised something.

I jump straight into tools.
New system.
New software.
New subscription.

But I skip one step.

I don’t map the real daily workload.
That is where AI project may fail.

Sometimes the most practical ideas don’t come from consultant or the boss.
They come from the person doing the work every day.

PS : Authored by Mr Koh Teck Peng, the group principal, in his personal LinkedIn post.