From goodwill to systems: HR professionals' perspectives on AI and neurodiverse workplace inclusion
Ichraq Fahim, Reda Tamanine, Fatima Elkansoussi, Asmae El Gharbaoui, Hasnaa AlamiPurpose
This study explores how human resource (HR) professionals perceive the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in fostering workplace inclusivity for neurodiverse employees. It addresses the persistent gap between the neurodiversity paradigm, which reframes cognitive differences as strengths and organizational practices that remain fragmented, disclosure-dependent and inconsistently implemented.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative, exploratory approach was adopted using semi-structured interviews with 12 HR professionals across diverse industries. Data were analysed thematically using MAXQDA 2022, integrating inductive insights with theoretical frameworks including the social model of disability, inclusive human resource management and socio-technical systems theory.
Findings
The findings indicate that HR professionals hold diverse understandings of neurodiversity, ranging from deficit-oriented to strengths-based perspectives, which influence whether inclusion is approached strategically or reactively. Participants viewed AI as a tool capable of reducing bias, supporting adaptive learning and enhancing accessibility, while simultaneously raising concerns regarding algorithmic bias, transparency, depersonalization and unequal organizational access to AI technologies. The findings further suggest that organizational context, particularly organizational size and governance capacity, shapes the implementation of AI-enabled inclusion. Across all interviews, participants emphasized that AI should complement rather than replace human judgment and highlighted the importance of ethical governance, participatory design and targeted managerial training.
Practical implications
The study offers HR leaders a stage-based maturity model for progressing from disclosure-driven goodwill towards systemic, ethically governed inclusion, alongside guidance on participatory AI design and manager training practices that participants associated with enhanced innovation potential and organizational resilience.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the emerging literature on AI and neurodiverse workplace inclusion by examining the perspectives of HR professionals, an important yet relatively underexplored stakeholder group. By integrating the social model of disability, inclusive human resource management and socio-technical systems theory, the study demonstrates that inclusive AI outcomes depend not only on technological capabilities but also on the interaction between organizational structures, HR practices and governance mechanisms, offering a more comprehensive understanding of responsible AI implementation in inclusive workplaces.