AI course for HR: use it safely at work

A useful AI course for HR teaches you to use ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini on real people tasks, such as job adverts, policies and training material, while keeping employee personal information out of the tools. You do not need to code, and a free live workshop is a good place to start.

This guide is for HR practitioners, learning and development teams and recruiters. It covers where AI helps, what to protect and how to check the output.

Key facts about our free AI workshop

• Free, live on Zoom, every weekend
• 3 hours, 12:00-15:00 SAST (10:00-13:00 UK, 11:00-14:00 CET), on Saturday or Sunday (you pick one)
• ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini on your own work
• No coding needed

What can HR teams use AI for?

The strongest use cases are the reading and writing tasks that take up much of an HR week:

• Job adverts and job descriptions. Turn a manager's rough notes into a clear, inclusive advert, then tailor it for different platforms.
• Policies and handbooks. Draft a first version of a policy in plain language, or rewrite a dense one so staff can follow it.
• Interview guides. Build structured, competency-based questions and scoring notes for a role.
• Training material. Turn a long procedure into a short lesson plan, a quiz or a one-page job aid.
• Staff communication. Draft announcements, change notices and FAQs in a tone that suits your organisation.
• Survey analysis. Group anonymised open-ended survey comments into themes so you can see what people are saying.

In each case AI produces a first draft quickly, and you supply the judgement, the context about your staff and the final decision.

The quickest way to get good at this is to do it live, with someone answering your questions. Our free workshop runs every weekend on Zoom, 12:00-15:00 SAST (10:00-13:00 UK, 11:00-14:00 CET). Save my free seat.

What employee data should stay out of AI tools?

HR holds some of the most sensitive information in any organisation. Keep these out of public AI tools unless your employer has approved a tool and a process for them:

• Names, ID numbers, contact details and addresses of employees or candidates
• Salaries, bank details and tax information
• Medical information, sick notes and disability status
• Disciplinary records, grievances and performance reviews tied to a person
• CVs and application forms

When you need AI's help with a real case, describe the situation in general terms or replace identifying details with placeholders such as "Employee A". In South Africa, personal information, including special personal information such as health data, is protected by the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). This is general information and not legal advice, so confirm your obligations with an attorney and follow your organisation's AI policy. Our guide to POPIA and AI at work goes into more detail.

Can AI screen CVs or make hiring decisions?

Be very careful here. AI tools can reflect bias in the text they learned from, and they can misread or overlook relevant experience. Decisions about people, such as who to shortlist, hire, promote or discipline, need a person who can explain the reasoning. Use AI to help you write better criteria and interview questions, not to rank real candidates, and check your employer's policy and the law before using any automated screening.

How do I check AI's work in HR?

1. Check the law yourself. AI can state labour law, leave rules or notice periods wrongly or from another country. Confirm against the Department of Employment and Labour, your legal adviser or your own policy.
2. Read for tone and bias. Make sure adverts and communication are inclusive and match how your organisation speaks to people.
3. Match your policies. Compare any draft against your existing policies so you do not create contradictions.
4. Keep a person accountable. Every document that goes to staff should be read and approved by someone who owns it.

How can learning and development teams use AI?

L&D teams can use AI to speed up course design: outline a module from a learning objective, turn a subject-matter expert's notes into exercises, write scenario questions, or adapt one lesson for different roles. AI is also useful for planning a staff AI training rollout itself. Our guide to AI training for employees covers what a good programme includes.

What should I bring to the workshop?

Bring one or two HR tasks you repeat often, such as a job advert, a policy that needs rewriting or a training outline, with any personal details removed. You will practise on them live with ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, and leave with prompts you can reuse.

What does the free workshop cover?

Over three hours on Zoom you work through choosing the right tool, writing prompts that work, researching and drafting quickly, getting answers from your own documents, making images and slides, building your own AI assistant, automating a repetitive task, making a simple web app without code, and understanding AI agents. You leave with a 30-day plan. Our hosts have taught more than 12,000 people.

It runs every weekend, on Saturday and again on Sunday, so you can pick the day that suits you. The times are set for South Africa, and the UK and Europe times above work for learners there too.

The quickest way to get good at this is to do it live, with someone answering your questions. Our free workshop runs every weekend on Zoom, 12:00-15:00 SAST (10:00-13:00 UK, 11:00-14:00 CET). Save my free seat.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free AI course for HR professionals?

Yes. Upskill in AI runs a free live workshop on Zoom every weekend where you practise ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini on your own work tasks.

Can I paste CVs into ChatGPT?

Not without your employer's approval. CVs contain personal information protected by POPIA, so remove identifying details or use an approved tool and process.

Do I need technical skills?

No. The tools work in plain language, so no coding is needed.