Human Judgment at Scale: How HR Leads Through AI, Growth and Change

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Amy Goldfinger, Chief People Officer at Slice, to talk about what HR can and cannot hand over to AI.Drawing from her experience across Walmart, Heidrick & Struggles, and Slice, Amy shares how the people function changes across scale, why startup HR requires sharper prioritization and speed, and why the fundamentals of talent, operational rigor, and leadership development remain constant.They discuss practical uses of AI in learning and development, board preparation, performance management, and manager coaching. Amy explains why AI can accelerate the work, but cannot replace the judgment, creativity, empathy, and influence that HR leaders bring into the room.From the risk of weakening early-career development to the opportunity to help managers have better conversations, this episode offers a grounded look at how HR can use AI as a capacity-builder without hollowing out the human capabilities that make people teams effective. Topics Discussed:How HR priorities change between a global enterprise and a late-stage startupWhy speed, prioritization, and “just enough structure” matter in high-growth environmentsHow AI helped Slice build a leadership academy and where human judgment still had to take overWhy AI output can feel repetitive, mechanical, or incomplete without human creativityHow early-career roles may change as AI removes some of the traditional training groundWhy struggle, discomfort, and hands-on work still matter for developing analytical judgmentHow HR leaders can decide when AI is advantageous and when a human should leadWhat board meeting preparation reveals about the value of wrestling with hard decisionsHow AI can support performance management, review writing, and manager coachingWhy AI should strengthen manager capability instead of replacing difficult conversationsHow people teams can use AI to do more with less without hollowing out HRWhy future-proof HR may become even more human-centric in an AI-driven workplaceAdditional ResourcesCleary’s AI-powered HR ChatbotFuture Proof HR CommunityConnect with Amy Goldfinger on LinkedIn