The Human Side of People Analytics: What AI Can't Replace I Bessemer Venture Partners, Todd Carlisle

Better data does not automatically lead to a better people decision. The way leaders prepare a conversation, explain the evidence, and understand the people in the room matters too. Todd Carlisle, Partner and Chief People Officer at Bessemer Venture Partners, joins Felicia Shakiba to discuss the human side of people analytics and a practical way to evaluate AI in HR. He explains why he prepares stakeholders before a meeting, puts employee stories alongside engagement data, and pays attention to the peer groups employees use when thinking about compensation. The conversation also explores where AI could simplify HR work. Todd describes four tests for return on investment: saving time, saving money, improving the employee experience, and making the HR team’s work easier. He also explains why some moments in the employee lifecycle still call for human judgment. In this conversation: Preparing people before presenting the decision Combining engagement data with employee stories Understanding personal compensation peer groups Evaluating AI through costs, time, and experience Keeping human judgment in the people function Hosted by Felicia Shakiba. Explore LeaderbookAI: https://leaderbook.ai/podcast Chapters 00:00 Teaser and introduction 01:35 Building people analytics at Google 03:01 Why correct analysis can fail to persuade 06:59 When data meets human assumptions 08:00 Preparing stakeholders before decisions 11:42 Making compensation data land 14:12 Persuading the head and the heart 17:12 Pairing employee stories with data 19:37 Benchmarking and employees’ chosen peers 21:24 Compensation transparency and fairness 23:16 Variable pay and performance 26:02 Measuring AI’s return on investment 31:14 Human judgment and empathy in HR 33:42 Learning development and mentorship 36:01 Leadership advice for investment firms About LeaderbookAI LeaderbookAI offers consulting and AI-powered diagnostics for private equity and portfolio companies. Explore how ⁠LeaderbookAI⁠ can support your team: https://www.leaderbook.ai Follow the LeaderbookAI podcast in your listening app for more conversations with leaders. More episodes: https://www.leaderbook.ai/podcast