'Truly digital teammates': Oracle's Yvette Cameron on how AI is reshaping the HR industry

Artificial intelligence is no longer just a buzzword in the workplace; it is transforming the way enterprises approach human resource management. According to Yvette Cameron, Senior Vice President of Global HCM Product Strategy at Oracle, the shift from predictive and generative AI to “agentic AI” is redefining the role of HR across industries.

Speaking to Business Today in an exclusive conversation, Cameron explained that AI is moving from simple support functions to becoming a “digital teammate” that can reason, recommend, and even take action on behalf of organisations.

“In 2022, our first use cases of generative AI were fairly straightforward, such as writing job descriptions. That alone saved hours of work per posting,” she said. “We then expanded to Q&A agents that could answer queries about policies, transfers, compensation ranges, and even external salary benchmarks. Now, with agentic workflows, AI doesn’t just analyse; it can schedule interviews, recommend performance placements, and initiate processes like job offers. These are truly autonomous, orchestrated workflows.”

This evolution reflects a broader trend across industries. Oracle formally rolled out generative AI in its Fusion Cloud HCM in mid-2023, with early use cases focused on hiring and performance management. By early 2025, the company had introduced specialised AI agents capable of handling entire workflows such as candidate scheduling and employee service queries, a move industry analysts describe as a significant step towards “agentic AI” in enterprise systems.

Cameron believes this shift is pushing HR leaders to focus less on process management and more on outcomes. “Instead of just coordinating tasks, HR is moving towards strategically orchestrating people and processes across the enterprise. The focus is on quality, readiness, and outcomes rather than just headcount.”

This outcome-driven approach is increasingly reflected in workplace adoption. According to McKinsey’s State of AI 2025 survey, more than half of C-suite executives now report regular use of generative AI in their workflows, with HR among the fastest adopters. Meanwhile, staffing industry data shows that AI use by HR professionals globally rose from 58% in 2024 to 72% in 2025, underlining Cameron’s point about accelerating enterprise uptake.

One area where this is already making a difference is regulatory compliance. Cameron highlighted how AI agents can instantly update information following frequent policy or tax changes, particularly in regions such as India and Asia-Pacific. “Rather than coding new answers into a chatbot, organisations can simply upload a new policy document, and the AI agent immediately provides accurate, up-to-date responses. This reduces pressure on service centres and allows staff to be redeployed in other areas.”

This is especially relevant in India, where payroll and labour laws are complex and frequently updated at both state and central levels. For example, changes to tax deduction at source (TDS), Employee Provident Fund (EPF) rules, and professional tax rates often require rapid compliance adjustments. AI-driven systems that can ingest new policy documents and deliver real-time answers, as Cameron described, are increasingly seen as critical for HR teams operating in such dynamic regulatory environments.

Safeguards remain central to Oracle’s approach. Cameron emphasised the importance of “human in the loop” processes, explainability, and governance. “We give organisations full control over when AI should pause for human approval. Transparency, auditability, and bias detection are embedded into the system, ensuring HR leaders can trust recommendations.”

This is in line with new regulatory frameworks such as the European Union’s AI Act, which classifies many HR and recruitment systems as “high-risk” and mandates strict requirements for transparency, human oversight, and accountability. Oracle’s emphasis on governance by design mirrors these emerging global standards.

When asked about adoption success stories, Cameron pointed to three leading use cases. A global hospitality company, for example, used Oracle’s AI to increase performance engagements by 68%, while average employee goal creation rose from five to eight, improving alignment between corporate strategy and individual performance. In New Zealand, a customer used Oracle’s AI to build transparent skills profiles, improving internal mobility and opportunity matching. Recruitment has also seen strong adoption, with AI used to generate job descriptions, career site content, and personalised “job snippets” that help candidates assess fit.

Cameron said adoption has accelerated significantly since late 2023, with more customers eager to deploy AI in HR processes. “What started with a handful of use cases is now a wide spectrum, from generative and Q&A agents to more autonomous workflows. The value is clear, and customers are asking what more can be done.”

The move towards AI-driven skills visibility and internal mobility is also part of a global shift. Deloitte research has found that more organisations are adopting “skills-based” talent marketplaces to better match employees to projects and roles, moving beyond traditional manager-driven assignments. This mirrors Cameron’s example of New Zealand companies using Oracle’s AI for more transparent opportunity matching.

As AI evolves from predictive to agentic, Cameron sees HR becoming a driver of strategic outcomes, rather than just a process coordinator. “AI is changing HR from the business of processes to the business of people,” she concluded.