Managers Are Relying on AI for Performance Reviews – Is This the End of Traditional HR?

In today’s data-driven workplaces, artificial intelligence (AI) has become more than a buzzword; it’s now a functional cornerstone sitting at the heart of many professional processes. In an unexpected twist, a recent TechRadar report reveals a growing trend among managers who admit to using AI tools to draft or revise performance reviews. While this adoption seems to simplify what’s traditionally a painstaking task, it has also sparked concerns about its implications for the future of human resources (HR). As AI steadily gains influence, some fear it may hasten the erosion of traditional HR practices. Let’s dive into what’s happening and what it could mean for the workplace of tomorrow.

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The Rise of AI in Performance Reviews

Performance reviews, a cornerstone of HR and people management, have always carried a mix of importance and dread on both sides of the desk. For employees, reviews are a chance to understand growth opportunities or address concerns. For managers, however, the process often feels cumbersome, with requirements to balance feedback, provide developmental guidance, and align with organizational goals—all while maintaining a professional tone.

Enter AI tools, capable of generating polished, personalized, and constructive feedback within minutes. A growing number of managers are leveraging these tools to either draft reviews from scratch or refine and optimize already written ones. The allure? Increased efficiency, reduced emotional strain, and—perhaps most importantly—seemingly unbiased language.

Here’s why AI is becoming a favorite among managers:

• Time savings: Crafting accurate and thoughtful reviews can take hours. AI condenses this process literally into minutes.

• Polished communication: Writing constructive feedback without risking misinterpretation is challenging. AI guarantees clarity.

• Data assistance: Many AI tools can integrate performance metrics into feedback, making reviews feel grounded in data rather than subjective judgment.

However, while these benefits seem compelling, they’ve ignited discussions about the unintended consequences of outsourcing such a personal aspect of professional relationships to AI.

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Why This Trend Is Controversial

Using AI for performance reviews may seem like a practical use case, but it’s drawing skepticism for several reasons.

• Loss of Human Connection

Performance reviews are more than just evaluations. They’re opportunities to recognize achievements, mentor employees, and build trust. When you remove—or even dilute—the human element by relying on AI-written reviews, the meeting can come off as impersonal. Employees might feel that their manager doesn’t truly understand their contributions, which can lead to disengagement over time.

• Potential for Bias Amplification

AI tools, especially when not adequately monitored or trained, can inherit biases from their training data. While one of AI’s selling points is its ability to be neutral, we know that algorithms can unintentionally perpetuate stereotypes or inequities. This raises questions about fairness if AI-derived feedback advantages some groups over others.

• Erosion of Leadership Skills

Writing performance reviews is a vital skill for managers; the process encourages reflection, empathy, and critical thinking about their team’s capabilities and challenges. If leaders increasingly delegate this task to AI, they risk failing to develop these essential attributes. In the long term, this could weaken managerial effectiveness across organizations.

• Confidentiality Risks

Performance reviews often include sensitive, highly personal, or strategically significant information. Outsourcing this to AI introduces concerns about data privacy—especially when the AI platform processes or stores data on external servers. What happens if this information is exposed or misused?

These challenges paint a complex picture: while AI brings undeniable efficiency to the table, it also opens a Pandora’s box of ethical, professional, and cultural dilemmas.

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Implications for Traditional HR Practices

AI’s rapid integration into HR workflows isn’t limited to performance reviews. From recruitment to onboarding to employee engagement surveys, AI tools are helping automate traditionally human-driven responsibilities. However, this growing reliance could ultimately disrupt the bedrock of HR: meaningful human interaction.

Key concerns for traditional HR include:

• Diminished relationship-building: HR professionals often act as mediators, mentors, and culture champions. If these interactions are increasingly handled by emotion-neutral AI, the workplace risks becoming transactional rather than relational.

• Bias in recruitment: Many companies already use AI to scan resumes or conduct preliminary interviews. When implemented irresponsibly, this can reinforce systemic biases, potentially creating less inclusive workplaces.

• Data overload: AI creates and thrives on data, but this can overwhelm HR teams with more metrics than actionable insights. Without proper context, AI recommendations may lead to poorly informed decisions.

All of these challenges highlight how a growing reliance on AI might come at the expense of traditional HR principles, such as empathy, equity, and fairness—all of which are critical for fostering cohesive workplace cultures.

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The Path Forward: Balancing AI and Human Effort

Despite its shortcomings, AI has carved out a permanent place in the workplace. Pretending it’s just a passing trend would be futile. Instead, companies must strike a balance between leveraging AI’s strengths and maintaining human accountability.

Here are some actionable solutions to promote a responsible AI-human collaboration:

• Set Boundaries for AI Use

Use AI tools to assist, not replace, human effort. Encourage managers to use AI as a starting point for reviews—a way to draft templates or generate ideas that can then be customized based on personal knowledge of their team.

• Invest in Training

Equip your workforce with the skills to work alongside AI, from understanding its capabilities to critically evaluating its outputs. Managers should also be trained in giving thoughtful feedback to complement AI-driven insights.

• Prioritize Data Ethics

HR departments must work closely with IT and legal teams to ensure AI tools prioritize data privacy, secure storage, and compliance with regulations.

• Encourage Personal Interaction

Technology should support—not replace—face-to-face interactions. Managers should be encouraged to strengthen relationships through in-person (or live virtual) conversations, fostering trust and alignment.

• Audit for Bias

Routinely assess AI tools for potential biases, particularly in sensitive applications like performance reviews, hiring, and promotions. Involve diverse voices during these audits to create checks and balances.

Organizations that embrace these strategies can position themselves as leaders in the responsible use of AI in the workplace.

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The Future of HR in an AI-Driven World

AI is undoubtedly reshaping the workplace at an astonishing speed. The involvement of AI in drafting or refining performance reviews is merely a snapshot of its broader capabilities. Yet, as this transformation unfolds, the role of HR professionals must also evolve.

Rather than resisting AI, HR can lead the charge in defining frameworks for its ethical, humane, and effective implementation. This approach ensures that while automation becomes a key partner, the essence of human resource management—trust, care, and communication—is safeguarded.

As we look ahead, the key will be to prevent technology from eroding human connection in the name of efficiency. The death of traditional HR may not be imminent, but its survival will depend on organizations’ ability to blend AI’s potential with humanity’s irreplaceable strengths.

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Key Takeaways

• AI adoption in performance reviews is gaining traction, offering speed, data integration, and polished communication. However, it raises concerns about impersonal interactions, bias, and privacy risks.

• The increasing use of AI in HR could disrupt traditional practices, jeopardizing human relationships and leadership development.

• Companies must ensure AI’s application supports, rather than undermines, human accountability, prioritizing ethics and personal connection.

• The future of HR lies in balancing AI’s efficiency with the critical human elements of trust, empathy, and collaboration.

As workplaces navigate these changes, one truth remains: technology should serve people—not the other way around. Only by staying mindful of this can we craft workplaces that are not only efficient but also deeply human.