As artificial intelligence dominated conversations at this year's HR Tech conference, new research shows a significant gap between AI experimentation and formal implementation within HR processes.

According to the 28th edition of the HR Tech HR Systems Survey from Sapient Insights Group, 31% of organizations now use AI within HR processes, up from 24% the previous year. However, a more striking finding reveals that 80% of HR professionals use AI tools personally for work tasks, yet only 14% pay for these tools themselves.

"There's a difference between whether I've embedded it and I've built a process around it and other people in the organization are accessing it versus I'm using my own version of AI," said Stacey Harris, chief research officer and managing partner at Sapient Insights Group, in an interview with HR Executive HR Tech Editor Jill Barth at HR Tech.