You’ve probably used ChatGPT or something similar to draft a contract, write a policy or put together a letter for an employee.
It’s quick. It sounds professional. And it feels like you’ve just saved yourself a chunk of money.
But the problem with AI-generated HR documents isn’t that they look bad. They usually look fine.
That’s what makes them risky. They read well enough that you trust them, but they’re missing things you won’t spot until it’s too late.
What AI gets wrong about employment contracts
Often when AI’s used to draft employment contracts, there are gaps. Missing notice periods. No probation clause. Holiday entitlement that doesn’t reflect the legal minimum or the way the business actually operates.
These kinds of errors will really matter when someone leaves, when you need to manage performance or when an employee challenges a decision you’ve made.
It can be very difficult to resolve and expensive to fix.
HR procedures need more than good formatting
This is where AI falls down most visibly.
Disciplinary letters, grievance responses, performance improvement plans: AI can produce all of these, but it doesn’t understand the legal requirement for a fair and reasonable process.
It might skip an investigation stage. It might produce a dismissal letter without a proper meeting having taken place. It might miss the employee’s right to be accompanied.
These are the kinds of things that make the difference between a defensible decision and a tribunal claim.
If you hand an employee a letter that looks formal but doesn’t follow a fair process, you haven’t protected your business. You’ve created a paper trail that works against you.
Your version of events isn’t always the full picture
Something most people don’t think about is how their own input shapes what AI produces.
When you describe a situation to AI, you naturally explain it from your perspective. But AI has no way of weighing up whether that version is balanced or complete. It just takes what you give it and builds from there.
So, you end up with documents that reflect your assumptions rather than what would stand up to scrutiny.
Sometimes that means unrealistic expectations about what you can do as an employer. Sometimes it means missing a risk you didn’t know existed.
A good HR adviser will challenge your thinking, not just agree with it. AI won’t do that.
Where AI can actually help
AI isn’t useless. It can help you with things like:
- Understanding general principles
- Getting a rough sense of how a process works
- Preparing questions before you speak to someone who can properly advise you
But it can’t assess risk. It can’t weigh up the specific circumstances of your situation. And it can’t anticipate what could go wrong further down the line.
That judgement is what makes the difference between a document that protects your business and one that exposes it.
Where an HR consultant can support you
An experienced HR consultant will make sure that your contracts, policies and procedures are accurate, compliant and built around how your business actually operates.
We can review what you already have in place, close the gaps and make sure that you’re protected before something goes wrong.
Get in touch for a confidential chat and we’ll talk you through how we can help.