Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Sarika Lamont, Chief People Officer at Vidyard, to talk about how AI is reshaping HR and why HR leaders must step up as drivers of change.
If you’re an HR leader trying to figure out where to start with AI (or convincing your CEO to even care), this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from the conversation. ⬇️
“I needed a win. So I built a pilot, showed the impact — and then said, now let me build a team.” — Sarika Lamont
1. Don’t wait for a mandate. Start experimenting.
Sarika didn’t wait for a company-wide AI strategy to get going. She spotted inefficiencies in their onboarding process and built a pilot using Kinfolk to automate pre-boarding and onboarding tasks. It was a win-win: managers saved time, employees had a better experience, and the team repurposed a coordinator role into a recruiting role.
“I knew I needed a win. I needed to be able to showcase something that we did... and be able to demonstrate a win off of that.”
Her advice: start small, focus on one pain point, and show real outcomes.
📊Turn your people data into usable insight
In our MPL webinar on how HR teams are actually using AI, leaders like Jenny Molyneaux (Vercel) and Brandon Sammut (Zapier) kept highlighting the same idea: AI only matters if it makes insights usable. Teams don’t need more dashboards - they need clarity.
That’s exactly what Ask ChartHop is built for. You type a question and instantly get an answer. When we saw it at HR Tech, people were surprised by how fast it worked.Org charts, comp bands, churn risk, hiring timelines, pay equity views, headcount plans - all generated in seconds. No spreadsheets, no BI requests, no “I’ll get back to you.”
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- Shareable charts and clear visuals
- Sortable lists you can act on immediately
- Access controls that protect sensitive data
- Insights leaders can use to make better decisions
It turns data into usable insight.
👉 Try Ask ChartHop
2. AI transformation should live in HR
Too many HR teams still see themselves as a back-office cost center. Sarika argues it’s time to flip the script. HR leaders are uniquely positioned to drive change — if they understand the business and can connect talent strategy to company outcomes.
“My nontraditional HR background helps. I’m thinking about where the business is going, and then how to get people there.”
If HR doesn’t lead the AI shift, who will?
3. Build for the AI-enabled employee
Vidyard launched an AI-powered assistant, Kinley, that acts as a career coach inside Slack. Employees can ask Kinley for growth advice, feedback tips, or how to get promoted — all based on real data and context from inside the org.
“It’s not to replace the manager. It’s to help employees come prepared with a plan, so that conversation with their manager is actually productive.”
Sarika’s team is giving employees a self-serve way to grow their careers — and it’s working.
🌐 Behind Groq’s $20B Success with Nvidia
Groq’s $20B Nvidia agreement highlights the impact of specializing leadership roles instead of overloading them. Groq’s people team created an executive assistant team of both in-house and 10+ Viva EAs to support their senior leaders.
This allowed their executive leaders to operate at the fastest pace possible without their people team having to manage or think about the function internally. Groq’s people team benefitted from Viva Talent’s white-glove managed service because they handled everything (hiring, matching, training, security, etc) – the only thing their executives needed to do was delegate.
“My Viva EA is the first executive assistant I’ve ever had who is as obsessed with the details and getting things right as I am.”
Jonathan Ross, CEO, Groq
👉 Book a conversation if you’re thinking about how to help yourself or your leadership team maximize productivity with Viva EAs.
4. Change is cultural before it’s technical
Rolling out AI tools isn’t just about tech. It’s about fear, psychology, and trust. Sarika intentionally made their rollout fun, human, and inclusive — with memes, open office hours, and Slack channels where people could roast themselves with ChatGPT.
“We didn’t send a scary company-wide email. We talked about the ‘what’s in it for me’ at a team standup. That made all the difference.”
She created space for employees to explore and be curious, not just comply.
5. HR teams are scared — and that’s a problem
Sarika’s seen it firsthand: internal surveys with 20% response rates from HR teams. That’s fear talking. And it’s dangerous.
“If HR isn’t on board and ready, that’s a major problem for the future. You can’t wait to be told what to do. You have to lead.”
Her challenge to HR: carve out time, test tools, get curious, and don’t wait. This is your moment.
🤖 Before you buy the AI tool… read this
A lot of companies are in “just buy the AI tool” mode right now. But most AI projects don’t fail because of the tech - they fail because the organization wasn’t ready for it.
If you’ve listened to our recent episodes, you’ve heard leaders like Brandon Sammut and Melanie Naranjo hit on the same idea: real transformation only sticks when people trust the systems you introduce, understand the “why,” and feel equipped to use the tools in front of them.
That’s where Clarinet comes in.
Their AI Readiness Snapshot gives you a clear, honest snapshot of where your org stands today and what needs to be true for AI to actually work. It highlights where AI can drive impact, the risks and gaps you need to address, and the concrete next steps to move from “we should do AI” to “here’s our plan.”
If you’re exploring AI - or dealing with a stalled rollout - start here.
👉 Take Clarinet’s AI Readiness Snapshot
6. Start with the business, not the buzzwords
AI can do a lot. But Sarika keeps it simple: what’s the business problem? What’s slowing people down? Then find a tool or system that solves that. Her frameworks always start with clarity:
- What are we solving?
- Who does it impact?
- How will we measure success?
“You don’t need to AI-wash everything. Just build something that makes work better.”
If you’re still on the sidelines, let this be your permission to jump in.
Thanks for reading. See you next time!
P.S. If you like MPL, help us grow the show by giving us a 5 star rating on Apple or Spotify. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐