Ben Eubanks of Lighthouse Research & Advisory explains how leaders can embrace technology without losing the workforce connection that defines healthcare.
As hospitals and health systems continue to navigate workforce challenges like staffing shortages and turnover, many organizations are turning to AI for help.
While the technology has elicited a palpable fear of machines replacing people, Ben Eubanks, author and chief research officer at Lighthouse Research & Advisory, believes its true promise in HR lies in giving people more time to be human.
“It's taking those things off our plates that are repetitive, that are routine, that are process-focused,” Eubanks told HealthLeaders. “We don’t want to replace those interactions. It's taking that stuff off [HR teams’] plates so they can step up and be there for their people so they can be there for the patients.”
Eubanks, who will speak at the upcoming HealthLeaders Workforce Decision Makers Exchange in Boston in November, studies how emerging technologies are reshaping the employer-employee relationship. His book, Artificial Intelligence for HR: Use AI to Support and Develop a Successful Workforce, explores how organizations can use AI to make smarter workforce decisions while maintaining trust and connection—two things technology can’t replicate.
Beyond the Hype
With AI dominating industry headlines, Eubanks is quick to caution healthcare leaders against getting swept up in trends without clear purpose.
“The biggest hype phrase I’ve heard in the last year around AI is ‘agents,’” he said. “You may need help with screening candidates. You may need help with matching them to the right jobs or even helping people who are already at your healthcare organization find the next role for them. Sure, those are great use cases, but an agent may not be the answer to that.”
That pragmatic approach, he noted, helps HR and workforce leaders avoid implementing tools that solve the wrong challenges. “Focus on the problems you’re trying to solve first,” he said. “Don’t get swayed by the hype because that’s going to steer you in the wrong direction typically.”
Retention remains one of healthcare’s toughest workforce problems, and Eubanks sees AI as a way to help systems intervene before employees burn out or walk away. An example is using the technology to conduct an employee survey and analyze the data to better understand where teams need more support.
That ability to turn feedback into action, he highlighted, can change the employee experience. “What are the best places for us to take action so that the people out there that need our help actually feel it? They receive that. They actually experience that support we’re trying to deliver to them versus another year went by, no one’s doing anything to change.”
Keeping the ‘Human’ in Human Resources
Still, Eubanks acknowledged that healthcare executives’ caution around AI is warranted, especially when it comes to bias and fairness.
“There are high-risk and low-risk ways to be using these tools,” he said. “If I’m using it to recommend training to someone, that’s pretty low risk. But if I’m using it to pick which person we’re going to hire for this next role, that is as high risk as it gets. For employers thinking about this, you have to sort of grade where those things are, decide the appetite for risk that you have.”
Candidates themselves are more open to AI when it helps them discover new opportunities rather than replacing human decision-making, according to Eubanks.
Ultimately, the key to using AI responsibly comes down to leadership philosophy. For Eubanks, that means asking a simple question: “Am I using this to keep people at arm’s length, to avoid interacting with them, to skirt a human connection, to try to avoid contact? Am I using AI to automate that stuff away? Or am I using it to know more about that person so I can draw them closer?
“It’s really that philosophy piece, knowing and deciding, are we going to use this just to avoid humans or to use it to know and serve humans at a deeper level?”
Looking ahead, Eubanks believes the next big frontier will involve connecting AI’s insights to tangible business outcomes and empowering teams to act on them. He said: “Can we show that we’re hiring the right people that actually impact revenue or profitability or our ability to create value for our shareholders?”
Amid the technological evolution though, Eubanks’ most important message for leaders comes down to remembering what AI can’t do, which is why it’s essential to keep developing and growing your own personal skills.
“AI cannot build trust. AI cannot mentor people. AI cannot create a culture of belonging,” he said. “Those are core human characteristics and capabilities that we have to lean into. And where AI can do a lot of these things, we've got to focus on those things that it can't do because that's our superpower.”
The HealthLeaders Exchange is an executive community for sharing ideas, solutions, and insights. Please join the community at our LinkedIn page.
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Jay Asser is the CEO editor for HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
AI’s greatest value in HR is removing repetitive, process-heavy tasks so HR teams can focus on people and patient support.
Leaders should identify the real workforce problems they’re solving before adopting AI tools, rather than chasing trends like “agents.”
In expanding AI use, leaders must ensure technology deepens human connection and development.