Many employers throughout the UK turn to recruitment agencies to diminish the hassle that inevitably comes with the hiring process. Resumes, interviews, salary research - these were all once at the fingertips professionals but now, as recruiters embrace changing technologies, the future of recruiting just may lie in the hands of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Many laud AI as an effective way to drive bias against women and minorities out of the hiring process. Skeptics claim that the AI recruiter may not mitigate the bias at all, but instead treat the employer’s bias staunch rule. As with all new technologies, its long term efficacy remains to be seen.
The overall belief is that AI has no bias and, while this is true, the margin for human error begins its learned behavior of human decision making. That is, as the AI program studies the existing company data and creates patterns and rules, its inclination will be to choose candidates that follow these trends. There’s little room for diversity by these measures.
Conversely, AI allows recruiters to streamline the most taxing piece of the puzzle. It has the ability to sift through a massive amount of data points from a stream of candidates. One of these data points is personality, a great predictor of success and job satisfaction. Automation is another amazing selling point. Recruiters spend hours upon hours sifting through piles of resumes. AI integration would significantly cut down time spent on paperwork so recruiters can spend their time interviewing candidates.
Though there are some AI recruitment startups buzzing about, it’s unlikely that recruiters are in any immediate danger of losing their positions. After all, they bring a very crucial element to the recruitment process that technology is far from mimicking. Recruiting isn’t all data points and algorithms, there’s a subtle art involved in choosing the right candidate for the job. In fact, removing recruiters from the occasion altogether may only serve to further drive the wedge between applicants and employers.
No matter what sector your agency recruits for, it’s a business built on relationships. While there’s a great potential to cut down on the manpower and cost associated with sifting through thousands of resumes, we still have quite a long way to go before we see a fully automated AI recruiting experience. AI will most certainly play a role in the recruiting process, but only time will tell how much.
