UKG CIO: HR Tech is AI's Next Major Investment Area

Prakash “PK” Kota, Chief Information Officer at human resources software company UKG, has identified HR technology as the next major investment frontier in the era of artificial intelligence. Kota joined UKG in April 2025 after a 20-year tenure at Autodesk, where he served as CIO for seven years. During his time at UKG, he has streamlined software vendors, facilitated the launch of 387 internal AI applications derived from over 1,400 employee-submitted concepts, and overseen the development of more than 12,000 AI agents. These agents leverage platforms including Microsoft, Google's Gemini, and OpenAI's ChatGPT. Kota emphasizes the transformative impact of AI on the workplace, stating, "In the AI era, everyone is talking about how work will be reshaped; how do employees and workers coexist? HR tech is going to be a huge area of investment in every company." The increasing capacity of AI to automate tasks, from coding and customer service to marketing, and its growing ability to handle complex functions through agentic AI, is compelling businesses and their HR departments to conceptualize a future workforce characterized by human-machine collaboration. This shift is also driving a heightened demand for individuals possessing AI proficiency. Job postings that mention AI are experiencing a growth rate nearly eight times faster than the overall employment market, according to insights from the consulting firm PwC. Despite this trend, studies indicate that younger demographics, specifically Gen Z, express greater concern about their career prospects in an AI-driven economy compared to older generations. This apprehension is partly attributed to the challenges many face in securing their initial entry-level positions and the widespread media coverage of substantial workforce reductions at prominent companies such as Meta Platforms, Verizon, and Oracle, where internal AI adoption is frequently cited as a contributing factor. While major corporations are actively restructuring their teams and rapidly redefining the skill sets they seek in new hires, a significant majority of HR leaders report that they have not yet established a comprehensive understanding of their internal AI strategies and their implications for the workforce. Kota's perspective suggests that HR technology will be central to addressing these evolving workforce dynamics and integrating AI effectively into business operations.