CHROs list talent acquisition and retention as their top priority for 2025 — yet the same executives rank AI and HR technology dead last among their five stated priorities. That gap is the subject of ADAPTOVATE's latest briefing, "The Hidden Talent Engine: Why CHROs Must Put AI First," which draws together 2025 CHRO research from SoftBank Vision Fund, HR Policy Association, Evanta/Gartner, i4cp, ManpowerGroup, and Korn Ferry, alongside real-world AI deployment cases from global employers, to examine why the function best positioned to fix the talent war is the one most likely to overlook the tool built to solve it.

As boards and investors demand measurable value from every function, HR is no exception — and treating AI as a back-office afterthought rather than a front-line lever for hiring, retention, culture, and leadership development is becoming a costly oversight. The report argues CHROs who close this gap don't just solve a workforce problem; they reposition HR as a driver of enterprise value.

Download the full report to see how leading organizations are putting AI at the center of their talent strategy.