HR in the AI era
For digital bank One Zero, AI is “a central growth engine”
AI is redefining roles and optimising workflows at One Zero, says its Chief HR & Strategic Projects, Roni Lichtenstein Shany.
Within One Zero’s HR department, the advent of AI tools has “helped us move faster and with greater precision, while creating a more personalized and scalable HR experience across the organization,” said Roni Lichtenstein Shany, Chief HR & Strategic Projects at the digital bank.
CTech’s "HR in the AI Era" series explores how the AI revolution is impacting the workforce across Israeli high-tech companies. In this series, we uncover the effects (both personal and professional) that this technology shift has had on Startup Nation.
“Thanks to AI, we’re able to scale our operations and serve more customers with only modest staff increases,” Lichtenstein Shany continued. Looking ahead, she shared that new hires at One Zero will focus on “strategic roles like advanced analytics, AI integration, product innovation, and complex advisory services, while more routine, task-based positions will remain steady or gradually decrease.”
You can read the entire interview below.
Company name: One Zero
Your name and title: Roni Lichtenstein Shany, Chief HR & Strategic Projects
Names of founders and upper management: Amnon Shashua (Founder), Eyal Gafni (CEO)
Year of founding: 2019-2020
Investment stage: Series A
Total investment to date: Undisclosed
Field of activity: FinTech
Number of employees: 350
Office location: Tel Aviv
Number of open positions: 24
On a scale of 1-10, how much does the AI revolution disrupt your company operation in general, and the HR department specifically?
8
At One Zero, AI is a central growth engine, streamlining operations, accelerating decision-making, and enhancing the customer experience. For a lean, digital-first bank experiencing rapid growth, these efficiencies are essential.
In HR, AI is reshaping expectations, enabling smarter recruitment, internal communication, and employee development. The function is evolving to be more data-driven and strategically aligned with the company’s broader goals.
What interesting AI tools do you and your staff use in employee management/recruitment?
We use a diverse set of AI tools to support both HR processes and day-to-day employee operations:
- ChatGPT and Copilot for drafting internal communications, refining job descriptions, and helping managers create personalized content.
- Notebook LM for building training resources, including internal podcasts.
- Napkin AI and Gamma for generating visual content, infographics, and onboarding materials.
These tools help us move faster and with greater precision, while creating a more personalized and scalable HR experience across the organization.
In which roles or tasks within your company has AI already begun to replace human labor (if at all)?
AI hasn’t replaced people, but it has redefined roles and optimized how work is done.
In customer service, our digital banker Ella independently handles more than 71% of all customer inquiries – 24/7, and with high accuracy.
In teams like HR, marketing, compliance, and operations, AI automates repetitive tasks, allowing people to focus on strategic and creative work.
We’re also seeing a rise in employee-developed AI tools that support individual workflows – a strong signal of a bottom-up culture of innovation.
What are the two major challenges you are coping with these days?
Scaling responsibly: In 2024 alone, our customer base grew by 35%. Managing that growth without compromising service or overextending our teams requires smart automation, agile processes, and focused hiring.
Driving adoption and culture change: We're heavily investing in training, workshops, and internal knowledge-sharing to ensure our teams not only use AI tools but understand how to leverage them to lead change and deliver impact.
Have you experienced workforce-related challenges due to the war, and are you still feeling the impact of the security situation on your human resources?
Yes, the war has posed challenges, from temporary staffing gaps to personal hardships and emotional strain.
However, with strong internal communication, flexible remote work policies, and mental health support, we’ve maintained operational continuity. HR has played a key role in supporting employee well-being, building resilience, and adapting to rapidly changing circumstances.
Have you made changes to your workforce following the increased use of AI tools, both in terms of headcount and internal shifts between departments?
The influence of AI on our workforce is growing, though it’s still evolving. We’re seeing a gradual shift in role composition as AI tools become more widely adopted. Repetitive tasks are increasingly automated, allowing employees to focus on higher-value work. New roles are also emerging around automation, data analysis, and process optimization.
While it’s too early to define a company-wide trend, we’re already seeing changes in areas like service, HR, and operations, and increasingly in product and R&D where AI supports ideation, product development, and better decision-making.
We’re currently assessing the long-term workforce impact, with early signs pointing to evolving skills and role expectations.
How does the global market uncertainty affect your workforce, in terms of employee numbers or departmental reallocations? Are you scaling your workforce up or down in different regions around the world?
Although we operate solely in Israel, we’re naturally affected by global economic, regulatory, and technological volatility.
In response, we prioritize lean, resilient growth. Instead of expanding headcount broadly, we focus on agility and efficiency, using AI to boost productivity. We invest selectively in high-impact roles that support innovation, customer success, and adaptability.
Do you estimate that in 2025–2026 you will increase or decrease the number of personnel? Explain why.
We expect moderate workforce growth in 2025–2026, not directly proportional to business expansion.
Thanks to AI, we’re able to scale our operations and serve more customers with only modest staff increases. New hires will focus on strategic roles like advanced analytics, AI integration, product innovation, and complex advisory services, while more routine, task-based positions will remain steady or gradually decrease.
