Description: Welcome back to the FNDN Series, where we continue our deep dive into startup compensation with industry leaders from across the startup world. In our conversation with Shani Brisilovsky, AI Product Lead at Shapes and behavioral economics researcher, we explore how AI is fundamentally reshaping the HR function — from automating admin-heavy processes to positioning people teams as the drivers of organization-wide AI transformation. We dig into the shortcomings of legacy HRIS platforms, the rise of agentic AI in people operations, and why the future of HR is less about rigid calendars and more about real-time, human-centered decision-making. Stick around to hear Shani's advice on how people leaders can get ahead of the curve before it's too late.

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to the FNDN Series
00:44 Guest Introduction: Shani Brisilovsky
01:37 Keeping Up with AI's Rapid Pace of Change
03:34 How a Behavioral Economics Master's Informs AI Thinking
05:21 The Evolving Role of HR in the Age of AI
06:39 HR as the Driver of AI Transformation: The Atlassian Example
08:22 Challenges of Leading Transformative Organizational Change
09:30 Moving from Rigid HR Cadences to Real-Time Processes
13:35 Preserving the Human Element Amid Automation
14:17 Lessons from Healthcare: Freeing Up Time for What Matters
18:09 The Emergency Room Story: Human Connection Throughout the Process
20:10 Where Current HRIS Systems Are Falling Short
24:50 Agentic AI and How Shapes Is Building for the Future
30:32 Addressing AI Concerns: Privacy, Security, and Hallucinations
32:33 Vibe Feature Demo: Generating Salary Bands with a Single Prompt
33:44 Advice for People Leaders: Start Now, Don't Wait
35:14 Closing Remarks

Connect with Shani

Visit: https://shapes.co/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanibrusi/

Resources Mentioned

Join Startup People Summit, a one-day virtual conference designed for startup People leaders who want practical insight, honest conversations and proven approaches to scaling their People function — get your ticket here: www.startuppeoplesummit.com 

Companies & Organisations Mentioned: Shapes — AI-native HRIS platform where Shani serves as AI Product Lead

MIT AHA (Advanced Humans with AI) Research Center — Research hub studying how people interact with AI tools; conferences available online

Atlassian — Notable example of a company placing AI transformation under its HR/People team

Zapier — Another example where the Chief People Officer took ownership of AI transformation

Anthropic — Recommended by Shani as a direct, high-quality source for learning how AI is being built and used

A16z — Published the article Workday's Last Workday, referenced in the discussion on legacy HRIS limitations  

More FNDN Episodes:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4GeBIeZOKrFxG1oiiPxmiM

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fndn-series/id1794263484

AIinHR, FutureOfWork, HRTechnology, PeopleOperations, BehavioralEconomics, AgenticAI, HRISPlatforms, StartupCompensation, HRLeadership, AITransformation, PeopleTeams, WorkplaceInnovation, HRAutomation, StartupCulture, CompensationStrategy, RealTimeHR, HumanCenteredAI, EmployeeExperience, TalentManagement, StartupBestPractices