This study explores how artificial intelligence (AI) impacts competencies in the HR generalist role. It addresses a critical gap in understanding the evolving nature of HR work in AI‐integrated environments. Adopting a qualitative design, 11 semi‐structured interviews analyzed with GIOIA methodology revealed how AI influences HR competencies through emergent concepts and themes. AI automates routine tasks and enhances strategic HR functions through analytics and decision support. It introduces new technical and ethical skills, yet human-centric competencies like empathy and negotiation remain essential to HR’s relational core. The study’s reliance on a small, purposively selected sample and its qualitative design limit the generalizability of findings across all organizational contexts, industries, and geographic regions. Implications. The results advocate for clear AI governance frameworks, ethical guidelines, and the cultivation of internal AI champions. They underscore the urgency of targeted reskilling programs that balance technological fluency with strategic and interpersonal capabilities, ensuring the human essence of HR endures amid accelerating automation. This research contributes a novel five-dimension conceptual framework that captures AI’s multifaceted impact on HR generalist competencies, advancing the discourse on hybrid HR professionalism that integrates emotional intelligence, strategic acumen, and technological fluency.

This study examined how artificial intelligence (AI) changes the skills HR generalists need. Based on interviews with HR and IT professionals, the study found that AI effectively handles routine administrative tasks such as CV screening, scheduling, and drafting documents, freeing HR staff to focus on higher value strategic work. At the same time, AI creates demand for new technical and ethical skills—like prompt writing, data interpretation, and AI governance—so HR professionals need targeted training in these areas. Crucially, human skills such as empathy, active listening, negotiation, and conflict resolution remain essential for building trust and managing people. The study recommends clear ethical guidelines, practical reskilling programs, and internal AI champions to ensure AI supports HR work while preserving its human core.