AI has been discussed as a future innovation for years, but that future is already here. Today’s HCM platforms are actively using AI to improve recruiting, onboarding, workforce insights, and employee support. The real challenge is not adoption, but realistic and responsible use. When applied correctly, AI removes friction, improves accuracy, and gives HR teams time back to focus on people, not processes.

As HRIS technology heads into 2026, the market is no longer defined by new features, but by consequences. AI governance, skills volatility, and vendor consolidation are reshaping how HR leaders make platform decisions. In this post, Richard des Moulins shares six predictions grounded in what organizations are actually funding, implementing, and struggling to operationalize.

2025 marked a turning point for HRIS as agentic AI shifted platforms from systems of record to engines that work alongside HR teams, shaping buying and deployment decisions.