A recent
HR News study has revealed that just under half of UK recruitment agencies now use AI to enhance the hiring process.
With more than 75% of recruiters now using an AI-powered Application Tracking System (ATS) or another tech-driven recruiting tool to review applicants, the role of AI is becoming more apparent in an increasingly tech-driven industry.
Recruiters have paired AI for its ability to cut candidate screening times in half, better match talent with best-fit roles, and remove bias from the recruitment process.
However, how effective is AI as an ethical recruitment tool? We can all agree that machine learning is saving HR teams countless hours and money, but AI is only as objective as the data and assumptions it learns from.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at the impact AI is currently having on a reformed recruitment sector. Is technology helping or harming your hiring strategy?
Can AI Help Reduce Recruiter Bias?
There’s no doubt that AI is becoming an increasingly powerful recruitment tool. In fact, the use of AI in recruitment has tripled in the last year, and experts suggest that adoption is only growing.
According to researchers at Standout CV, recruiters save an
average of 4.5 hours per week by using AI. With the ability to streamline the screening process and even connect with candidates throughout, the introduction of tech in the hiring sector has made it easier for recruiters to spend time connecting directly
with top talent and fostering powerful relationships with key contenders for the role.
Better still, many teams are adopting AI technology to help reduce subjectivity during the recruitment process and create more inclusive application opportunities.
While AI as a tool can both mitigate and amplify user bias, let’s first take a look at some of the ways it could benefit your hiring team when used correctly:
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Flagging Biased Language: AI tools are most commonly used by recruiters to flag biased language or exclusionary terms in a job ad that could make the hiring process less inclusive. From gendered phrases to biased assumptions, AI tools can
help your team write fairer adverts that attract more talent. -
Anonymous Application Process: AI tools like Greenhouse and Affinda can remove applicant names, genders, photos and any other identifying details to help reduce recruiter bias during the screening process.
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Inclusive Screening Criteria: When it comes to screening candidates, AI helps recruiters select the best-fit talent by standardising the screening criteria. This allows hiring teams to remain focused on selecting candidates based on skills
and experience, rather than any unconscious preferences or background bias. -
Talent Pool Expansion: If recruitment teams rely less on their own subjective assumptions, the talent pool instantly opens up. In fact, some AI tools even remove university criteria, opening up the role to a broader selection of candidates
from different learning backgrounds. -
Enhancing Fairness Through Human-AI Collaboration: For most recruitment teams, AI is used as an aid, rather than a replacement for human judgment. Together, HR teams create a robust hiring strategy that is more inclusive for all applicants.
Using AI to automate repetitive recruitment tasks, HR teams still have a hand in the hiring process while leveraging AI to improve results.
The Ethical Cost of Misusing AI
While AI can significantly enhance your recruitment drive, it’s important to remember that its role in eliminating bias is determined by the data and assumptions it learns from.
For example, if your AI tool is learning from a long list of historical recruitment biases, it’s likely to make the same mistake when screening future candidates.
Here are some of the adverse effects of using AI to eliminate recruitment bias:
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Amplifying Bias: If your
AI algorithm learns from biased assumptions, it may reinforce the exact inequities you’re trying hard to rectify. For example, if your team have a habit of hiring men, AI can even skew language suggestions based on this data, favouring masculine words and
phrases. -
Cutting Out Diverse Groups: AI will create a screening algorithm based on the mould of your past hires. This could mean that your recruitment tool may overlook candidates from diverse groups.
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Misunderstanding Cultural Nuances: If AI is not trained on specific languages, educational backgrounds and cultural nuances, it may misunderstand the languages and experiences listed in a CV/cover letter. This could result in candidates
from specific backgrounds being
excluded from the hiring process.
For these reasons, you must use AI as an aid, rather than a replacement for your team’s human judgment.
Using AI Ethically as a Recruitment Agency
Using AI ethically as a recruitment agency is simple. The key here is to enjoy its benefits while still staying in control of the steering wheel.
When investing in an AI-powered hiring tool, ensure that you audit your screening process frequently, prioritise transparency, and keep combining tech with ethical judgement.
The bottom line is, AI can make your hiring process smarter, but only your team can guarantee that application opportunities are completely inclusive. Teams that work with AI, rather than against it, will find themselves attracting the best talent.
