Artificial Intelligence Meets Employee Development: A Bibliometric Analysis of Research Trends

Abstract

This bibliometric analysis examined 81 peer-reviewed manuscripts published between 2021 and 2025 in the Web of Science database to better understand how artificial intelligence (AI) is shaping Human Resource Development (HRD) research, with a specific focus on employee development. The findings show a rapid increase in AI–HRD employee development publications over this period, reflecting both accelerated advancements in AI and growing organizational pressure to develop new skills and redesign work. Despite this growth, the literature remains fragmented. Using bibliometric and qualitative content analysis methods, five major themes were identified: (1) AI-enhanced learning and development, (2) AI-driven organizational change and adaptation, (3) strategic HRD and workforce management, (4) technological infrastructure and system integration, and (5) ethical and responsible AI implementation. AI-driven organizational change and adaptation was the most represented theme, with 20 publications, while ethical and responsible AI implementation was the least represented theme in the corpus, with 10 publications. The study concludes by highlighting the growing significance of AI in employee development and offering implications for HRD research and practice, particularly the need for ethical and responsible implementation practices within AI-enabled workplaces.