Rippling Rolls Out AI-Powered Employee Evaluation Tool

Would you trust artificial intelligence-powered tools to conduct your employee evaluation?

Business software startup Rippling hopes the answer is yes.

The company is launching a product called Talent Signal, which uses AI to gauge employee performance based on task-specific metrics, Bloomberg reported Wednesday (Sept. 25).

The tool can spot patterns a manager might not notice, helping companies better use resources while determining which employees may need fast-tracking or additional guidance, the report said.

“In the ideal case, the manager would pull up a chair next to the employee and spend 90 days with them,” coaching them, said Rippling Chief Operating Officer Matt MacInnis, per the report.

While few managers have time for that sort of effort, AI does, the report added. Those who have tested Talent Signal said the tool lets them set aside preconceived notions and look objectively as they evaluate an employee’s performance.

MacInnis acknowledged some people might find the product unsettling, but it’s no less strange than a manager tracking a new employee, and it offers less bias, the report said.

The standard 90-day evaluation “can’t be about the vibe,” MacInnis said, per the report. “It’s got to be about the facts.”

Rippling’s workforce management platform combines human resources, informational technology and finance functions to create what it calls a “single source of truth” for employee data. The company raised $200 million in a Series F round in April that valued Rippling at $13.5 billion.

“Rippling’s core thesis is that employee data is critical to a surprisingly large number of business systems, including the ones well outside of HR,” CEO Parker Conrad said at the time.

Meanwhile, experts interviewed by PYMNTS have stressed the need for a balanced approach to AI that includes human intervention. Gillian Laging, co-founder of Scopey, a scope management platform, argued for built-in human oversight, pointing to her firm’s practice of having users review AI-drafted scopes of work before passing them on to clients.

“This approach acknowledges that while AI can dramatically speed up certain processes, human judgment remains invaluable,” PYMNTS reported this month. “For instance, an AI might draft a comprehensive project scope, but a seasoned professional can spot nuances, potential issues or client-specific considerations that the AI might miss.”

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