Don’t Fear AI in Hiring - Fear Outdated Thinking
I read Ann Francke’s recent piece, “Don’t Let AI Hire Your Staff,” in The Times yesterday with a mix of intrigue and frustration. While her argument highlights some valid concerns about AI in recruitment, it also reflects a broader misconception about what AI is actually doing in the hiring process.
To borrow her words: “Humans hire humans.” Absolutely. But let’s not overlook the glaring inefficiencies and biases in traditional hiring practices, ones that human judgment alone hasn’t solved.
AI Isn’t the Problem. It’s the Solution.
Francke’s article paints AI as a potential shortcut for lazy candidates, while overlooking its transformative potential for HR teams. AI isn’t there to replace human judgment; it’s there to supercharge it.
At Talent Unlimited, we’ve built an AI platform designed to handle the heavy lifting in recruitment. CV screening, conducting unbiased first interviews, and providing meaningful feedback to candidates. But here’s the kicker. AI doesn’t make the hiring decision. It equips hiring managers with better tools and better insights to make that decision.
The Old Way vs. The New Way
The traditional recruitment process, endless CV sifting, repetitive interviews, candidates ghosting, is riddled with inefficiencies. Let’s not pretend that old-school hiring has a perfect track record. Poorly managed processes, unconscious bias, and reliance on gut feel have allowed underqualified candidates to sneak through long before AI was in the picture.
AI levels the playing field by evaluating all candidates consistently. It interviews applicants objectively, ensuring no promising talent is overlooked due to unconscious bias or overburdened HR teams skipping a CV.
Let’s Talk about Volume
Francke mentions the “onslaught” of AI-generated applications. Fair point, technology has made it easier to apply, but this isn’t inherently bad. It’s a signal that candidates are eager, resourceful, and leveraging tools to enhance their chances. The real issue lies with organisations struggling to manage the volume.
This is precisely where AI thrives. Tools like ours process large applicant pools in hours, not weeks, ensuring every candidate gets a fair shot without burying HR teams under a mountain of CVs.
Human Judgment, Augmented
Francke argues for “active, thoughtful management.” I couldn’t agree more. That’s why Talent Unlimited’s AI interviews are bespoke to each candidate and tailored to the role’s specific requirements. By the time hiring managers see the shortlist, they’re reviewing high-potential candidates backed by data-driven insights, not just CV fluff.
She also mentions “top grading” to test candidates’ consistency across roles. With AI, we take this a step further: dynamically generating interview questions based on a candidate’s responses. It’s not about replacing human judgment but enhancing it with tools that scale, simplify, and de-bias the process.
Stop Blaming the Tool
There’s a broader point here: resistance to AI in recruitment often stems from a fear of change. AI isn’t a perfect solution (what is?), but dismissing it outright ignores the significant strides it has made in hiring fairness, speed, and efficiency.
Instead of asking whether we should “let AI hire our staff,” let’s ask how we can leverage AI to hire better. With the right approach, AI doesn’t dehumanise the process; it improves it, for hiring teams and candidates alike.
The choice isn’t between humans and AI. It’s about empowering humans with AI. Let’s move forward together.
