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Human Judgment at Scale: How HR Leads Through AI, Growth and Change
About this episode
Transcript
About this episode
In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Amy Goldfinger, Chief People Officer at Slice, to talk about what HR can and cannot hand over to AI.
Drawing from her experience across Walmart, Heidrick & Struggles, and Slice, Amy shares how the people function changes across scale, why startup HR requires sharper prioritization and speed, and why the fundamentals of talent, operational rigor, and leadership development remain constant.
They discuss practical uses of AI in learning and development, board preparation, performance management, and manager coaching. Amy explains why AI can accelerate the work, but cannot replace the judgment, creativity, empathy, and influence that HR leaders bring into the room.
From the risk of weakening early-career development to the opportunity to help managers have better conversations, this episode offers a grounded look at how HR can use AI as a capacity-builder without hollowing out the human capabilities that make people teams effective.
Topics Discussed:
How HR priorities change between a global enterprise and a late-stage startup
Why speed, prioritization, and “just enough structure” matter in high-growth environments
How AI helped Slice build a leadership academy and where human judgment still had to take over
Why AI output can feel repetitive, mechanical, or incomplete without human creativity
How early-career roles may change as AI removes some of the traditional training ground
Why struggle, discomfort, and hands-on work still matter for developing analytical judgment
How HR leaders can decide when AI is advantageous and when a human should lead
What board meeting preparation reveals about the value of wrestling with hard decisions
How AI can support performance management, review writing, and manager coaching
Why AI should strengthen manager capability instead of replacing difficult conversations
How people teams can use AI to do more with less without hollowing out HR
Why future-proof HR may become even more human-centric in an AI-driven workplace
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About the guest
Amy Goldfinger
Amy Goldfinger is currently the Chief People Officer at Slice, a vertical SaaS company. She also advises several early-stage tech companies in the areas of product, go-to-market strategy and change management. Prior, she served as the Senior Vice President, Global Head of Talent at Walmart, architecting and leading Walmart’s strategic and operational talent agendas and global initiatives governing workforce planning, talent acquisition, talent transition, organizational design, M&A, and location strategy.
Previously, Amy co-led the Global Human Resources Advisory Practice at Heidrick & Struggles, with a focus on senior level searches across industry, and advised clients in the areas of HR transformation, leadership and succession, talent management program strategy and execution, and onboarding. Prior to joining the Firm, Amy was a Product Director at Dun & Bradstreet and earlier, she spent six years at Booz Allen Hamilton.
Amy Goldfinger is currently the Chief People Officer at Slice, a vertical SaaS company. She also advises several early-stage tech companies in the areas of product, go-to-market strategy and change management. Prior, she served as the Senior Vice President, Global Head of Talent at Walmart, architecting and leading Walmart’s strategic and operational talent agendas and global initiatives governing workforce planning, talent acquisition, talent transition, organizational design, M&A, and location strategy.
Previously, Amy co-led the Global Human Resources Advisory Practice at Heidrick & Struggles, with a focus on senior level searches across industry, and advised clients in the areas of HR transformation, leadership and succession, talent management program strategy and execution, and onboarding. Prior to joining the Firm, Amy was a Product Director at Dun & Bradstreet and earlier, she spent six years at Booz Allen Hamilton.
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Listen to the Episode
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Listen to the Episode
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Listen to the Episode
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Listen to the Episode
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Listen to the Episode
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Listen to the Episode
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The leading podcast for the future of HR
The leading podcast for the future of HR
The future of HR is being shaped by real operators doing the work.
If you’ve led change, navigated challenges, or learned valuable lessons in people operations, we’d love to hear your perspective.
Apply below to be considered as a guest on the show.
The future of HR is being shaped by real operators doing the work.
If you’ve led change, navigated challenges, or learned valuable lessons in people operations, we’d love to hear your perspective.
Apply below to be considered as a guest on the show.