How To (Ethically) Capture The Opportunity Of AI In Talent

In a previous blog, I wrote about how humanity is crucial to AI in hiring .?

Before writing that blog—and after—I’ve had the chance to connect with talent leaders from all over the world. In those conversations, a common refrain comes up.

“Ok, Euan, I agree with you: humanity matters in hiring. But AI isn’t going away any time soon—what am I supposed to actually do about it?”

This struck a chord with me. Data from the Willo 2024 Hiring Trends Report already shows we’re in “skeptical implementation” of AI as the majority of talent leaders (79.4%) expect to implement AI in the next year but nearly two-thirds (64.7%) have reservations about it.

So the team at Willo set out to find an answer. How do you actually implement AI in a way that preserves humanity?

This became the guiding question of our latest ebook (it’s free and ungated)

Read the report now: Hiring Humans: How to ethically implement AI in talent acquisition to improve quality of hire, process efficiency, and candidate experience.

We interviewed top experts from companies like Accenture, Toyota, Arctic Shores, and MeBeBot. Below you’ll find a preview of the research findings (but the real good stuff is in the report).

AI brings change

A common refrain is that AI is going to change everything.?

But this statement is overwhelming and, frankly, useless. As talent leaders, we need to know what AI will do for us, in our jobs, and for the candidates we engage with.

Here are some takeaways from our research:

→ AI changes what we need ideal candidates to demonstrate: AI is particularly good at data analysis and digesting large volumes of information; in turn, Recruiters may want to deprioritize those skill sets in candidates and focus more on skills like critical thinking, independent time management, and collaboration.

→ HR teams have reason to be skeptical: Historically, HR teams have been asked to do more with the same or less, said Lydia Wu, VP of Product at AI Digital Employee Experience (DEX) Platform MeBeBot. With this backdrop, it’s perhaps justified that talent leaders might remain somewhat skeptical of the work involved in AI implementation and management.

→ Many candidates expect employers to embrace AI: A study conducted by assessment platform Arctic Shores found that nearly half (47%) of students think companies should let them use GenAI in job applications.

The opportunity of AI in talent is unparalled

With new AI tooling and technology comes massive opportunities for every stakeholder in the talent process:

→ For candidates: More personalized candidate experience at scale and dynamic 24/7 resources to support them in the hiring process. AI can even act as a career coach.

→ For recruiters: AI can streamline initial screening while offering more consistency and fairness to candidates. It can also offer tools to help identify great-fit, diamond-in-the-rough candidates, placing them in roles they are better suited for in your organization (both external and internal candidates).

→ For employer branding efforts: AI can augment both your employer branding story and distribution efforts to highlight the best message for the right candidates at the right time.

The three principles for AI success in hiring

Humanity (or ethics, integrity, or whatever word you use to describe the prioritization of humans) is a function of structure and policy, not necessarily the technology itself.?

As Hung Lee, an HR influencer and host of the Recruiting Brainfood Podcast, explained in our interview with him: AI is simply a tool. People can (and will) use it for a variety of different use cases.?

If you want to prioritize humanity, you have to actively choose to do so—based on our research, here are three pillars that help you get there.

Principle 1: AI Needs Policies To Guide Use

Artificial intelligence does what it is built and instructed to do. With that in mind, it’s crucial to have policies in place that guide how your organization thinks about and approaches AI.?

Principle 2: Prioritize Privacy, Referenceability, And Humanity

You need to know that your information is secure (privacy), that you can always check the machine’s work (referenceability), and that it’s built to benefit the humans who use it (humanity).

Principle 3: Be Willing To Experiment

Focus on organizational needs, build a testing environment with a human in the loop, and communicate transparently with staff and candidates alike.?

A 6-step implementation framework

After you have your principles in place, it’s time to start implementing.?

Through our research, we uncovered a 6-step process that starts with business needs, flows through gap assessments, and ends with designing the perfect implementation for your organizational needs.?

Because that’s what this is all about, right? AI is powerful because the technology adapts to us. Not coincidentally, that’s also what is necessary to preserve humanity in hiring: your tools work for you, not the other way around.?

If you want the full 6-steps—along with templates and additional implementation support—check out the (free) report: Download now .

PS: This ebook would not have been possible if not for the amazing experts who shared their insights with us (both named and anonymous).

Estelle McCartney, Chief Growth Officer at Arctic Shores

Hung Lee, HR Influencer and host of the Recruiting Brainfood Podcast

Iliana Oris Valiente, Managing Director and Innovation Lead at Accenture Canada

Luke Smith, Specialist, Talent Acquisition & Experience at Toyota GB

Lydia Wu, VP of Product at MeBeBot

And other senior leaders from global corporations who asked to remain anonymous.