Vibe Teaming: How HR Turns AI Experiments Into Real Adoption with Nichol Bradford
Eps. #198 Tuesday, September 1st, 2026
A little less than half of workers now use AI regularly on the job. Of that group, 44% admit the output looks finished on the surface and holds nothing underneath. SHRM has a name for it: work slop.
Dr. James Atkinson is VP of Thought Leadership at SHRM, where he leads the research teams behind that finding. He spent nine years at Gartner, finishing as Managing Vice President of Data Products for its HR research practice, and ran data products at Payscale before joining SHRM.
James walks through SHRM's Skills Revolution research in this conversation. Read the full report here: https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/research/skills-revolution-preparing-employees-tomorrows-jobs
In this episode…
Why CFOs approve people investments framed as productivity gained and cost avoided, and why SHRM's navigating the C-suite research found finance leaders want that case backed by workforce data
How 44% of AI users admit to producing work slop, and where HR can step in to define what good output looks like
What SHRM's Skills Revolution research says about learning and development systems that can't track how fast skills are changing
Hit “Play” to gain valuable insights that can transform your HR practices!
Guest(s): Dr. James Atkinson, VP of Thought Leadership, SHRM
Guest(s): Dr. James Atkinson, VP of Thought Leadership, SHRM
James Atkinson is the VP, Thought Leadership at SHRM, where he leads research teams uncovering key insights on the challenges and trends affecting HR and the workplace. James joined SHRM with more than 15 years of research, data, and product experience, having spent a decade in various leadership roles within the HR industry.
Prior to SHRM, James was the Vice President of Data Products at Payscale, where he was responsible for the overall strategy, development, and delivery of data products for compensation professionals. He also spent 9 years at Gartner, finishing his tenure there as the Managing Vice President of Data Products for the HR research and advisory practice.
Across his career, his teams have created award-winning research and data products for HR executives and their teams on topics including learning and development, total rewards, recruiting, talent management, HR strategy, HR technology, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. This work has been featured in top business journals and media outlets such as Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, and Forbes. James holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Ohio State University.
