HR in the AI Era
AI “is changing the how, not the why,” says Lightrun
Lightrun has joined CTech to share how AI is making a splash without affecting human capital.
“AI is definitely impacting how we operate - but not in a way that replaces people,” said Lightrun’s VP Operations and HR, Gal Shor. “It’s changing the how, not the why. In HR specifically, it’s helping us speed up and scale processes like sourcing, data analysis, and feedback interpretation.”
Shor joined CTech for its new series HR in the AI Era, which explores the impact that artificial intelligence will have on the workplace.
According to Shor, it will be a present technology - but not at the cost of human capital. “What AI can’t replace is human judgment, context, and the emotional intelligence needed to truly understand people and drive culture.”
You can read the entire interview below.
Company name: Lightrun
Name and title: Gal Shor, VP Operations and HR
Names of founders and upper management: Ilan Peleg, Leonid Blouvshtein, Or Maimon, Dror Bereznitsky, Gal Shor, Amir Ish Shalom, Arad Offer
Year of founding: 2019
Investment stage: B
Total investment to date: $110M
Field of activity: AI
Number of employees: 75
Office location: Tel Aviv, New York
Number of open positions: 20
On a scale of 1-10, how much does the AI revolution disrupt your company operation in general, and the HR department specifically?
7
How so?
AI is definitely impacting how we operate - but not in a way that replaces people. It’s changing the how, not the why. In HR specifically, it’s helping us speed up and scale processes like sourcing, data analysis, and feedback interpretation. But what AI can’t replace is human judgment, context, and the emotional intelligence needed to truly understand people and drive culture.
So while AI is a powerful tool, it’s just that - a tool. We use it to support decision-making, not make decisions for us. The disruption is real, but it’s also a huge opportunity to evolve how we work.
What interesting AI tools do you and your staff use in employee management/recruitment?
Honestly, there aren’t many truly innovative AI tools in HR that strike the right balance between compliance and real added value - at least not yet.
We often find ourselves exploring tools built for sales, like Gong or Salesforce, and imagining how powerful they could be if adapted for HR. Gong, for example, can give you amazing insights into communication patterns that could be incredibly useful for coaching or even difficult decisions like offboarding - but there’s no real HR equivalent today.
The same goes for pipeline and engagement tracking - sales has CRM, but in HR, we’re still a few steps behind. We’re watching this space closely, but in the meantime, we’re borrowing ideas from other departments and applying them where we can.
In which roles or tasks within your company has AI already begun to replace human labor (if at all)?
We haven’t replaced any roles with AI, but it’s definitely reshaping how we work across the company.
AI allows our teams to bring in broader datasets, run deeper research in less time, and build more streamlined, consistent processes. Whether it's in product, marketing, or customer-facing functions, we’re seeing a shift toward more data-driven, efficient decision-making.
It’s not about replacing people - it’s about amplifying their impact. We’re getting more done, faster, and with more confidence.
What are the two major challenges you are coping with these days?
First, many of our team members are still on reserve duty, which impacts both capacity and emotional bandwidth. We’re constantly adjusting plans to support them and keep momentum going without burning out the rest of the team.
Second, the limited flight options from Israel make global travel, especially for business and team alignment, much harder. It’s a logistical and strategic constraint when you're building a company with global reach and operations.
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, we’ve experienced significant workforce-related challenges due to the war, and we’re still feeling the impact.
Several employees have been, and some still are, on reserve duty, which naturally affects team capacity and project timelines. Beyond that, the emotional weight of the situation touches everyone, whether directly or indirectly.
We’ve had to adapt quickly - rebalancing workloads, increasing support, and staying flexible with expectations. The security situation also makes it harder to plan ahead, especially around travel, team gatherings, and long-term hiring. It’s an ongoing challenge, but it’s also brought the team closer together in terms of resilience and mutual support.
Have you made changes to your workforce following the increased use of AI tools, both in terms of headcount and internal shifts between departments?
We haven’t made any major changes to headcount or shifted people between departments due to AI, at least not yet.
What we are seeing is a shift in how people work: more data, faster research, and a growing expectation for efficiency across teams. AI is pushing us to rethink workflows and skill sets, but not roles.
It’s less about moving people around, and more about up skilling and helping teams use AI to amplify their impact. We’re staying close to these shifts, and if structural changes become relevant down the line, we’ll adapt - but always with intention.
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?
We actually thrive in times of change - we recently closed a $70M funding round, which gives us the resources to grow. But in today’s AI-driven and economically shifting environment, it’s not about scaling big - it’s about scaling smart.
We evaluate every new hire carefully: what’s the real need? Is this the best way to allocate resources? The mindset has shifted. Scaling today doesn’t look like it did a few years ago - it’s more precise, more data-informed, and more connected to long-term value.
Do you estimate that in 2025–2026 you will increase or decrease the number of personnel? Explain why.
We expect to increase our headcount in 2025–2026, but in a focused and intentional way.
With the recent funding and growing demand for resilient, AI-augmented developer tools, we’re positioned for smart growth - especially in go-to-market and customer-facing roles. That said, we’re not chasing headcount for the sake of optics. Every addition to the team needs to drive impact and support our long-term goals.
We believe the next phase of scaling is about precision: building lean, high-performing teams that can adapt quickly and deliver real value.
