HR Left Out of AI Strategy at Nearly 40% of Canadian Firms

According to an IBM study, 37% of Canadian organizations do not involve their Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) when defining their artificial intelligence (AI) strategy. Despite being expected to lead AI transformation, HR teams are often left out of the process.

The study, conducted with Oxford Economics from April to June 2026, surveyed 1,500 CHROs and senior workforce executives, including 75 in Canada. The results show that Canadian CHROs struggle with AI literacy, with 72% saying they have trouble coordinating consistently across the C-suite.

Additionally, 63% of Canadian organizations make limited or no use of AI inside the HR function. This lack of AI adoption is reflected in low ratings for HR's ability to measure AI performance (20%) and manage change related to AI adoption (24%).

Globally, organizations with mature HR AI capability are nearly twice as likely to report higher numbers of positive business key performance indicators. Statistics Canada data shows that 25.2% of businesses in the third quarter of 2026 plan to use AI within 12 months.