HR professionals have always been the heroes behind the curtain — guiding people through uncertainty, leading with empathy, and shaping workplaces that thrive through change. As artificial intelligence transforms the modern workplace, HR’s role as hero has never been more essential. In this interactive and actionable session, Dr. Shayna Cooke, Chief People Officer at Dominion Payroll, invites participants to explore how HR can lead organizations through the AI revolution — not as bystanders, but as architects of ethical, human-centered innovation. Drawing from Dominion Payroll’s real-world AI implementation strategy, Dr. Cooke offers a field guide to balancing efficiency with empathy, automation with authenticity, and progress with purpose. Grounded in SHRM’s 2026 conference theme — You Can’t Spell HERO without HR — this session highlights how HR can wield its superpowers of emotional intelligence, foresight, adaptability, and protection to ensure AI enhances, not replaces, the human experience at work. Participants will leave equipped with practical frameworks, executive communication templates, and 90-day action plans to build AI literacy, strengthen ethical guardrails, and transform their organizations into confident, future-ready workplaces — proving that in the age of automation, the most powerful tool will always be the human one.