AI isn’t replacing people—it’s empowering them: Agnes Garaba, UiPath

When you think of AI in the workplace, you might picture lines of code, complex algorithms, and maybe a robot or two. But for Agnes Garaba, Chief People Officer at UiPath, AI is as much about people as it is about technology. She brings a nuanced, grounded, and deeply human-centric perspective. As someone responsible for managing talent at one of the world's foremost automation companies, Garaba has a front-row seat to the transformation AI is catalyzing—not just in business operations but in the very fabric of workforce dynamics.

In an exclusive interview, Agnes Garaba shares how her team is pioneering the integration of automation and AI in HR, and what it means for the future of work.

At UiPath, the story of AI in HR doesn’t start with fear—it starts with experimentation.

"We had been doing automation long before AI was a thing. In fact, we had some of the first RPA use cases come out of HR—the automation of repetitive queries, internal communications, onboarding, etc. But that was really just the starting point." 

An early start: HR as a testbed for automation

Well before generative AI entered the mainstream lexicon, UiPath’s people function had already begun automating routine processes using Robotic Process Automation (RPA). These early innovations helped remove the drudgery from repetitive HR tasks. “In fact, many of our early automations originated from our HR team,” Garaba recalls. These weren’t moonshot projects—they were practical responses to everyday inefficiencies.

But with the rise of AI, the people function at UiPath is now undergoing its next evolution. Chatbots have been deployed to field employee queries; ChatGPT has found its way into tasks like goal-setting and content creation. The team is now exploring “agentic automation”—a shift from task execution to decision-making systems capable of independent judgement.

This is not about replacing people, Garaba insists. “It’s about augmenting them.” The aim is to free up bandwidth for more strategic, creative, and analytical work, turning HR into a partner in transformation rather than a department slow to evolve.

Addressing fears and building buy-in

In a market jittery about layoffs and restructuring, it’s natural for employees to view AI with suspicion. But Garaba dispels this fear: “Layoffs usually happen when companies realign their strategic priorities… it's rarely just about AI replacing roles.”

More importantly, she emphasizes that full automation of complex roles remains rare. The real challenge isn’t AI’s capability—it’s the human mindset. Some are quick adopters, eager to experiment. Others, particularly in functions like HR that prioritize accuracy and stability, remain cautious.

This is where Garaba’s leadership philosophy shines. She doesn’t impose transformation from the top. Instead, she co-creates tools with her team. “That sense of ownership makes a huge difference,” she says. The strategy is subtle but powerful—build change with your people, not for them.

The future: Humans and machines, side by side

Could AI agents eventually appear on the company org chart? Garaba thinks so. She believes, is the hybrid workforce—not remote vs. in-office, but human and machine. A world where organizational charts might include both employees and AI agents.

It’s a provocative idea, but not as far-fetched as it sounds. “We are the last generation of HR professionals managing a purely human workforce,” she quotes. The implication is clear: managing AI agents will soon be part of every leader’s job description.

In this future, emotional intelligence becomes even more vital—not less. “You don’t need to motivate an AI agent,” Garaba says, “but you do need to support the people working alongside them.”

Managing this dual workforce will require a new kind of leadership—equal parts technical proficiency and human empathy. Leaders must learn to design workflows that integrate the best of both worlds: machines for efficiency and humans for judgment, nuance, and connection.

The skill gap is real, Garaba admits. UiPath’s HR team is still catching up when it comes to deep tech fluency. But the problem isn’t technological—it’s imaginative. “The tech can do more than we think. The challenge is expanding our mindset to truly see what’s possible.”

From mass training to personalized learning

To address this, UiPath has abandoned the one-size-fits-all model of upskilling. Instead, it’s building personalized learning journeys, using platforms like Udemy and LinkedIn Learning, alongside traditional mentoring and job shadowing.

The company also runs focused leadership development cohorts and is gradually expanding targeted upskilling across departments. But Garaba is candid: “We’re not fully there yet.” Scaling personalization across a 4,000-strong global workforce is no small feat—but it’s the direction they’re firmly headed in.

Corporate functions first, but not last

Interestingly, UiPath’s AI deployment hasn’t started with its engineering teams. Instead, the company has chosen to begin with its corporate functions—finance, HR, and legal—where rule-based, repetitive work offers fertile ground for AI agents. While these areas are the initial focus, other departments are also beginning to explore how agentic automation can augment their workflows.

This isn’t a top-down mandate. Each function is independently evaluating opportunities, in what Garaba calls “an evolving process, not a linear rollout.”

Attrition, Retention, and the real drivers of engagement

Despite the sweeping changes, Garaba is confident that AI isn’t driving people away. Attrition at UiPath remains within healthy industry benchmarks, and exit interviews reveal that departures are rarely due to fears about automation.

Instead, career progression and compensation remain the top reasons employees leave. Culture, interestingly, is often cited as a reason to stay. “People value the inclusive environment and the colleagues they work with,” Garaba shares.

UiPath uses detailed dashboards to monitor attrition by role, region, and skill set—especially in areas like AI, engineering, and sales, where talent is fiercely contested.

Rethinking HR for the future of work

Garaba believes HR must rise to meet the moment. It’s no longer enough to be good with people—HR leaders must also be data- and tech-literate. “It’s not optional anymore—it’s critical,” she asserts. This blend of business acumen, technological curiosity, and human empathy is what will define the next generation of successful HR professionals.

When hiring fresh talent, she looks less for specific technical skills and more for a growth mindset. Tools can be taught, but curiosity is irreplaceable.

Future-proofing through bold thinking

If there’s one piece of advice Garaba offers to her peers, it’s this: “Think big and stretch the boundaries of what’s possible.” The pace of change is exponential, and HR leaders must get comfortable looking around corners—not just reacting to change, but anticipating it.

At UiPath, this future-thinking ethos isn’t just a vision—it’s a strategy. With AI agents becoming partners in productivity and employees being encouraged to grow alongside them, the company is writing a new chapter in the story of work.

The headline isn’t about machines replacing humans. It’s about machines amplifying what humans do best. And that’s a narrative worth embracing.