Dia is one of the leading supermarkets in Spain. In recent years, the group has made considerable efforts to use new digital channels and incorporate the latest technologies, benefiting both customers and employees. This push into ICT has also had an impact on the company's HR department.
Marina Gómez Redondo has held various positions in the retailer's HR department for almost three decades. From 1992 to 2020 she was Director of Human Resources Development and since then she has been Director of Recruitment and Talent at Dia.
During the HR Evolution event, we had the opportunity to talk to her about how the company uses artificial intelligence in this department.
- Marina, how have you integrated AI into the HR processes at Dia?
- I think the first thing to mention is that Dia is a very large company that manages large amounts of data, which is very relevant from a data management perspective. When you have a lot of data, you need to manage this volume with the help of artificial intelligence, because human capacity cannot handle it.
Dia, by definition, has always had a very strong technology area because it is very important to make decisions based on data on a daily basis. Artificial intelligence helps us to make decisions in such a fast and dynamic environment that we live in today. Therefore, I believe it is important to integrate AI into the company.
In the HR department, I can talk about an application that we have been using for a year and a half, where we integrated a chatbot into the recruitment area. The aim was to help all applicants 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.
The chatbot allows us to answer all the candidates' questions and manage all the information. It organizes this information so that you can make decisions later. This has allowed the company to speed up the job placement process because we no longer have to invest so much time. Previously, you had to read all the CVs in detail. The AI has done this analysis and helped you make the best choice.
- What kind of questions does the chatbot ask candidates?
- It asks a lot of questions about general knowledge, the company, working conditions and the skills required...
The chatbot answers you and also conducts a preliminary interview in which it creates a suitable profile so that the candidate also knows whether they have a chance of progressing in the selection process.
Finally, pay attention to how time is optimized, as candidates and companies often invest many hours only to find that the position is of no interest. This way, everything can be resolved much more easily and quickly.
- Do you use a chatbot for internal communication?
- Not in this case. But within the company, in the customer service department, a chatbot is also used, and on the website when someone wants to buy something and clarify questions about slides, appointments and so on.
- Have you tried anything in terms of generative artificial intelligence?
- On a business level, yes. We have a business intelligence and data division that mainly analyzes customer behavior and buying habits. AI can make predictions and suggestions for decision-making.
- And in the area of HR?
- In HR, we are still laying the foundations, but we need to integrate all the information because the challenge for large companies is that they do not usually have a tool that unifies all the data.
There's one tool for managing training, another for managing recruitment processes, another for payroll... So the first challenge of artificial intelligence is to collect and integrate all this information. Once that's done, you can move on to generative AI.
I can say that many steps are already being taken in this integration process, which is technically quite complex.
- How do you envision the future of HR if generative AI becomes mainstream? What does this future look like given the restrictions that are currently in place at European level?
- The same thing will happen outside of HR. The world is developing at such a pace that I do not think there's enough time to regulate it legally or mature it emotionally.
HR also needs to ensure the ethical use of all information. I focus on the part that enriches to make good decisions.
However, this can happen in all areas. Any advancement is important if the tools are used well. If the tool is very powerful, it helps the company and the person because it recognizes their needs and you can meet them better, but there are red lines. That's why we have a code of ethics and departments that ensure compliance with all company regulations.
