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AI terms every HR professional should know

Picture of Emma Davies By  Emma Davies  ·  3 minute read

AI is everywhere — and HR is right in the middle of it.
Whether you’re using an HRIS with “AI-driven insights” or experimenting with tools like Thesmia.ai, chances are you’ve already been using artificial intelligence… even if you didn’t know it.

But here’s the challenge: the language of AI can feel like another world. Words like hallucination, large language model, and machine learning get thrown around — yet most HR professionals just need to know one thing: what does this actually mean for me?

So here’s your plain-English guide to AI terminology — built for HR, not engineers.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Let’s start at the top.
AI simply means technology that can perform tasks that usually require human intelligence.
That includes understanding language, recognising patterns, and generating text, images, or recommendations.

In HR, you already use AI when:

  • Your HRIS predicts turnover risk

  • A chatbot answers policy questions

  • Thesmia drafts your comms or rollout plans

AI doesn’t “think” — it recognises and predicts patterns based on data.

We �� HR. We're here for you. Not your boss.

Machine Learning (ML)

Machine Learning is how AI “learns.”
It uses data to find patterns and improve over time — kind of like how a manager learns what motivates each team member.

In HR, ML powers things like:

  • Predicting which candidates might succeed

  • Spotting engagement trends from survey data

  • Suggesting learning paths for employees

💡 Tip: Always check that the data feeding your ML tools is clean, fair, and up to date — bias in, bias out.

Natural Language Processing (NLP)

This is the science behind AI understanding and generating human language.
It’s what lets Thesmia interpret your prompts (“help me write a manager email”) and respond in clear, human English.

In HR, NLP helps with:

  • Writing policies and comms in plain language

  • Analysing employee sentiment in surveys

  • Answering employee FAQs through chatbots

Think of it as the reason AI can actually hold a conversation.

Large Language Model (LLM)

This is the engine behind chat-based AI tools like ChatGPT and Thesmia.
An LLM is a type of AI trained on huge amounts of text — so it can predict what word, phrase, or sentence should come next.

It’s not “thinking” — it’s predicting. But when guided well (through good prompts), it can generate context-aware, relevant answers.

🗣️ When you ask Thesmia for a comms plan, it’s your prompt that tells the model to think like HR — not like the internet.

Hallucination

When AI “hallucinates,” it’s not seeing things — it’s making them up.
This happens when the model doesn’t have the right data or context but still tries to give you an answer.

In HR, this could mean:

  • Quoting false statistics

  • Inventing policies or laws

  • Making up company details

✅ Always fact-check.
Thesmia is designed to minimise hallucinations by focusing on HR-safe prompts and real-world frameworks.

Data Privacy & Governance

This one matters most for HR.
AI learns from the data you give it — so be cautious about what you share. Never input employee names, confidential info, or performance data into public tools.

Use secure, HR-grade platforms that keep your prompts private (like Thesmia.ai).

🧠 Rule of thumb: If you wouldn’t email it to an external vendor, don’t paste it into an open AI chat.

Automation

AI-driven automation is about removing repetitive work, not people.
It’s what makes your HR tech faster and more consistent.

In HR, automation can:

  • Schedule reminders and nudges

  • Pre-fill performance review templates

  • Send survey follow-ups automatically

The trick is to automate admin, not empathy. Use automation to create space for meaningful human work — not to replace it.

Prompt Engineering

This is the art of writing good prompts — the clearer and more detailed your request, the better your results.

For HR, good prompt engineering means including:

  • Who the audience is (leaders, managers, employees)

  • The tone (credible, calm, motivational)

  • The purpose (explain, persuade, reassure, inform)

That’s exactly what Thesmia’s prompt library is built around — giving HR teams ready-made, high-quality prompts that deliver professional results.

Responsible AI

This is the growing field of using AI ethically and transparently — ensuring fairness, accountability, and safety.

For HR, that means:

  • Checking for bias in algorithms

  • Protecting sensitive employee data

  • Making it clear when content is AI-assisted

At Thesmia, this principle is core. Every output is designed to support HR professionals — not make decisions for them.

Human-in-the-Loop

You’ll hear this phrase a lot. It simply means AI works best with humans in control.
You review, guide, and approve — AI assists.

That’s the balance HR needs: automation that amplifies, not replaces, the human voice.

We �� HR. We're here for you. Not your boss.

Final Thought: You Don’t Need to Be a Technologist — Just a Translator

AI isn’t about learning to code. It’s about learning to communicate with technology in a way that supports your people strategy.

The HR teams who’ll thrive are those who see AI not as a threat, but as a teammate — one that helps them communicate faster, plan smarter, and make their work land better.

That’s what Thesmia.ai was built for: helping HR use AI sensibly, strategically, and humanely.

Because great HR will always be human — we’re just giving it better tools.

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