Practical Lessons from Implementing AI Across Talent and Workforce Processes

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Episode Overview

Almost every HR team today can point to AI somewhere in their stack. Screening, scheduling, skills mapping, internal mobility, interview notes, something is running on it. But if you talk to those teams honestly, there's usually a gap between having AI and actually changing how work gets done. The pilot impresses everyone in the demo, and then quietly fades the moment real hiring pressure returns.

So, we want to move past the theory and into practical lessons. What genuinely changes when AI moves into talent and workforce processes, and what it asks of the people running them.

And to help us with that, we have with us Meghna Punhani, Chief People Officer at Eightfold.

Host of this Episode: Sanjeevani Saikia

Guest Bio

Meghna Punhani is a business outcome–focused Chief People Officer with a career spanning Google, Palo Alto Networks, DevRev, and now Eightfold—bringing a rare blend of people leadership, operational rigor, and deep tech fluency to the C-suite.

With 20+ years of experience across iconic companies at every stage of growth, Meghna has led transformative roles across People Operations, Strategy & Business Operations, and Corporate Engineering. She built her foundation at Google, where she scaled global operations and workforce transformation in both HR and IT. At Palo Alto Networks, she was SVP of Strategic Ops and Employee Experience, driving execution on company-wide priorities while shaping a culture of innovation and velocity. Most recently at DevRev, she helped shape the company’s early culture, systems, and people foundation from the ground up.

Now as Chief People Officer at Eightfold, an AI-native HR tech company, Meghna is helping redefine what People leadership looks like in the age of AI bridging performance, potential, and workforce transformation with urgency and care.

Known for her ability to translate strategy into action, Meghna brings leaders together across functions to tackle complex challenges, build strong organizations, and unlock business and human potential, delivering measurable business outcomes. She is passionate about creating workplaces that move fast, build trust, and enable people to thrive in ambiguity and change.

Connect with Meghna on LinkedIn

Timestamps

01:38Meghna shares her corporate journey so far.

03:20She shares where she's seen AI make the biggest difference in talent and workforce processes across her own organization and the leaders she's worked with.

06:36The AI initiative or experience that fundamentally changed how Meghna thinks about AI in HR.

13:06Keeping the human element alive as AI takes on a bigger role in the workplace.

17:32How leaders can help employees feel confident working alongside AI instead of anxious about it.

25:30Meghna's one piece of advice for an HR leader just starting their AI journey.