Behind the pages of a book shaped by humans and machines, Erica Farmer shares the creative highs, challenges and lessons from writing ‘AI for People Professionals’. From neurodivergent-friendly workflows to AI-supported thinking, it’s a candid look at what it means to write about the future of work in real time.
When I started writing my book AI for People Professionals, I had no idea how much of a creative, emotional and intellectual rollercoaster it would be. This wasn’t just a writing project, it was a living experiment: using artificial intelligence to write about artificial intelligence, while keeping the human voice at the centre of every word.
I wanted to write a book that would help HR leaders, learning professionals and people partners make sense of AI in a world that’s changing faster than most of us can process. A book that was practical, not preachy; grounded, not gimmicky. Something that would cut through the noise, challenge the hype and equip people to actually use AI confidently and responsibly in their work.
What I didn’t expect was how much I’d learn in the process about technology, creativity and myself.
From an idea to a living project
The idea for AI for People Professionals grew naturally from the work I’ve been doing through Quantum Rise Talent Group, my podcast AI for the Average Joe, and the many talks, workshops and LinkedIn Learning courses I’ve delivered on the subject. I kept meeting HR and L&D professionals who were excited about AI but also overwhelmed by it.
They were asking:
- Where do I even start?
- What’s actually relevant to my role?
- How do I make sure we use it ethically?
There were plenty of books on AI in business or technology, but none that spoke to the realities of HR, such as recruitment, wellbeing, learning, performance, reward and the human challenges behind them.
So I decided to write it myself.
The early concept was straightforward, ten chapters covering how AI is reshaping each part of the people profession. But as anyone who’s written a book will tell you, plans evolve, and fast, especially when your subject matter changes weekly.
Writing about a moving target
AI doesn’t sit still. Between starting my first chapter and finishing my tenth, we saw the rise of multimodal models, the mainstreaming of Microsoft Copilot, and the emergence of agentic AI; tools that don’t just respond to prompts but act autonomously to complete tasks.
Alongside this, the relationship between AI and the human and developed quicker than my caffeine dependency. That meant I was constantly updating sections as new developments appeared. In one week, I’d write confidently about prompt engineering for L&D; by the next, I’d be rewriting it in light of workflow automation or AI agents in HR operating models.
Writing about a technology that reinvents itself every few months means you can’t cling too tightly to what you know. You have to stay curious, adaptable and humble. You have to demonstrate the key human distinctive skills which I talking about in the book; learning agility and critical thinking. You have to walk the walk.
To manage this, I wrote two chapters a month which was enough to stay in flow, but with room to pivot as the field evolved. I built in a “living edit” process, where each draft would be revisited before final submission to reflect the latest advancements.
Using AI without letting AI write the book
From the start, I was clear: I wasn’t going to let AI write the book. I was going to let it help me think. That’s an important distinction. Too often, people assume using AI in writing means pressing a button and generating paragraphs of text. But I used AI as a thinking partner; to spark ideas, test structures, analyse trends and synthesise research.
For example, I used ChatGPT to help:
- Summarise academic papers and reports from sources like the CIPD, Deloitte and the Alan Turing Institute
- Cross-check emerging terminology, ensuring definitions were consistent and up to date
- Draft outlines for frameworks like the H(AI)R Model or the AI Safe Checklist, which I then built out manually and validated with experts
- Generate prompts for reflection questions, toolkits and practical exercises
Every idea and sentence in the book was reviewed, rewritten and grounded in professional experience. AI helped with the heavy lifting of synthesis, not the soul of the writing.
The human process: Excitement, frustration and flow
Writing a book while running a business and hosting a podcast is not for the faint-hearted. Some days the words poured out, other days I questioned why I’d taken this on at all.
The moments of excitement came when I realised I was building something that didn’t exist before. A resource that could genuinely change how HR professionals approach technology. That feeling of originality, the creative high of making sense of something new, is addictive.
But the frustration was real too. AI evolves faster than publishing schedules. What’s “emerging” in January can feel outdated by June. I had to let go of perfection and focus on writing principles and practices that would endure.
Rather than chasing every new release, I grounded the book in timeless questions:
- How can AI make work more human, not less?
- What skills do people professionals need to thrive in an AI augmented world?
- How do we balance innovation with inclusion, ethics and wellbeing?
Those questions won’t expire, no matter how the technology shifts.
Learning differently: Neurodiversity as a strength
As someone who’s neurodivergent, traditional writing processes don’t always work for me. Long periods of quiet typing can be mentally draining and make it harder to spot inconsistencies or tone issues.
That’s where Microsoft’s Read Aloud function became a game-changer. Hearing my words spoken back helped me process them differently. I could pick up rhythm, flow and phrasing in a way that visual editing never allowed.
It also made reviewing text more accessible. I could edit while walking, travelling or doing admin tasks, keeping momentum without burning out. This accessible feedback loop turned what could’ve been a barrier into a creative advantage.
For anyone in HR supporting neurodivergent colleagues, this is a small example of inclusive design in action. Technology that adapts to people, not the other way around.
Collaboration through conversation
One of the richest parts of the process came from integrating voices beyond my own. Through our AI for the Average Joe podcast, I’ve had the privilege of speaking with brilliant guests, leaders, innovators, educators and practitioners experimenting with AI in their own contexts.
These conversations became the backbone of the book. I used transcripts from interviews to draw out themes, real-world examples, tips and quotes that grounded each chapter in lived experience. It meant the book wasn’t just my perspective, but a collective exploration, a human conversation about what it really means to work alongside AI. And I am hugely grateful to everyone who leant me their words, expertise and support.
Building a practical toolkit for HR
From the outset, I didn’t want this to be another theoretical text about the future of work. HR professionals don’t need more philosophy; they need tools. Every chapter includes frameworks, checklists and exercises designed for real-world use:
- The AI Maturity Model to assess organisational readiness
- The 90-Day AI Roadmap to help leaders move from pilot to practice
- The AI Safe Checklist to guide responsible experimentation
- Reflection prompts to support ethical and inclusive decision-making
These tools were tested through workshops, client projects and live training sessions and then refined by what actually worked in practice.
Balancing creativity and credibility
Writing for HR audiences means striking a balance between inspiration and evidence. Every bold statement about AI’s potential had to be backed by credible sources and grounded in professional standards.
That’s where my research workflow, supported by AI, made a difference. I could summarise 40-page whitepapers in minutes, cross-reference data and trace citations quickly. It freed me to focus on analysis rather than admin.
But I also drew heavily on my professional network; practitioners, researchers and thought leaders who sense-checked ideas and contributed insights. Collaboration was as vital as the writing itself. In a field as fast-moving as AI, credibility comes not from claiming expertise, but from curating it well.
Living with the book as it evolves
By the time I finished the manuscript, AI had already taken another leap forward. Agentic systems were becoming mainstream, and new regulation frameworks were being drafted across the UK and Europe.
That’s the challenge of writing about an evolving topic: the work is never done. I had to accept that AI for People Professionals would be a snapshot in time, a foundation to build on, not a definitive statement.
In fact, that’s what makes it exciting. The book is just the beginning of an ongoing dialogue about how we, as people professionals, can lead this transformation with confidence and conscience, as change architects genuinely learning and growing as people and professionals.
Reflections and what’s next
Looking back, writing this book was one of the most demanding and rewarding projects I’ve ever taken on. It pushed me to experiment, question and adapt constantly. I’ve come away convinced of three things:
- AI doesn’t diminish human creativity, it amplifies it. When used intentionally, it helps us think more deeply, not less, in any context or setting
- We need more lived-experience voices in the AI conversation, women, practitioners, neurodivergent professionals and everyday users who see technology through a human lens. Stop with the panels of five men at AI events which haven’t considered representation of any kind
- The future of HR belongs to the curious. Those who experiment, learn and adapt will shape the next era of work
For me, AI for People Professionals is more than a book. It’s a call to action; for HR to stop sitting on the sidelines of the AI revolution and start leading it. Because this isn’t just about technology. It’s about the future of how we understand, develop and care for people. And that, no matter how smart our machines become, will always be profoundly human.
Excited about reading the book? You can pre-order it from Kogan Page and Amazon right now. I’d love to know what you think, and more importantly, what changes you make both personally and professionally off the back of it.
Erica Farmer is AI and Future Skills Specialist, Co-Founder at Quantum Rise Talent Group and author of AI for People Professionals
This article was co-created by Erica Farmer in collaboration with ChatGPT (GPT-5), used as a digital thinking partner throughout the writing and editing process. AI was used to support ideation, structure and refinement — not to generate or replace the author’s original content
