Are You Prepared to Lead a Talent Function Where AI Is a Core Team Member?
Hi TA leaders,
I want to ask you something. Well, actually, I want to ask you a lot of things. All centered around the question of: “Are you ready for when AI becomes embedded in every aspect of the recruitment process?”
Think about it. AI can source candidates, screen resumes, schedule interviews, and send hyper-personalized outreach—all while you’re asleep. So, when a machine can do all that, where does that leave part of the TA function?
The question is no longer “Should we use AI?”—that ship has sailed. The real question is: How do we shape a hiring function where AI isn’t just running in the background, but working alongside us in a way that makes us all better?
I’ve got more questions than answers, and I think sharing them is exactly how we get a conversation going that can help everyone.
Because we’re about to go from horse-and-buggy to Lamborghini. I think it’s time to start figuring out how to take advantage of the extra horsepower without crashing into a tree or leaving our humanity in the dust.
What Does a Recruiter Do Now?
AI doesn’t take breaks, doesn’t get burned out, and doesn’t ghost candidates (well, so long as your systems are configured for it … see why we need to have this conversation?).
Does AI take over all top-of-funnel tasks? If so, who manages it? Do we need AI specialists, or do we evolve into "AI companions" (or are they our companions?) who fine-tune algorithms while maintaining our recruiting expertise?
Then, there’s the human side of things. How many people do we need? And, what exactly do those teammates do all day long?
Where Should AI Be Integrated?
To me, this evolution all but guarantees that everyone must transition into sophisticated AI operators. The future of our profession hinges on our ability to guide candidates, advise hiring managers, analyze talent markets, optimize processes, and build meaningful relationships across the board—all with the help of AI.
AI and data marketing expert Mirko Peters lays out an interesting look at new team dynamics with AI as a recruiting “ally”. Whether their framework inspires any real change at your org, I think it’s a great example of the type of thinking TA leaders will need to do to determine how they can deploy AI—both team-facing and backend—to enhance recruitment.
When considering where to place AI power within your ranks, we have to be smooth and intentional. Mirko asks, “You wouldn't want to hire someone who disrupts the harmony of a well-functioning team, would you?” Now, think about applying that mindset to any new AI systems you integrate.
I agree with Mirko’s sentiment that you’ll know that you’re on the right track when AI adoption feels like gaining superpowers that reveal hidden talents.
What Happens to Our KPIs?
Another area that may or may not be keeping you up at night: What if the success metrics that we’ve relied on for years suddenly don’t make sense anymore??
How do you assess the quality and impact of AI-driven hiring? Should we look at how well AI and humans work together, such as AI-human collaboration scores?
Time-to-fill? AI could technically speed things up, but does speed = quality? Response rates? AI can send 10,000 personalized messages in a day—does that mean our outreach is working, or just that we’re flooding inboxes? What should we be measuring that we aren’t?
If we don’t redefine what “good” looks like, how will we know if we’re actually getting better?
When Do We Let Humans Take The Wheel?
AI is great at making hiring more efficient. But, efficiency ≠ connection. When does a candidate need a human touch instead of an AI-generated response? Where do we draw the line between “smart automation” and “this just feels impersonal”?
If AI can “personalize” at scale, how do we make sure candidates still feel seen by an actual person? Will they even care?
Recruiters' jobs are shifting from doing the work to guiding the process. It’s less about clicking buttons and more about orchestrating how AI and humans work together.
What do you think? What are you thinking about?
We all want to know.
What else is happening in hiring?
Dan’s Corner
AI is accelerating recruiting at a pace that we’ve never seen—sourcing, screening, and scheduling in ways that feel almost futuristic. But, the heart of talent acquisition has never been automation—it’s the human connection, the strategy, and the ability to adapt. The future of recruiting isn’t about AI replacing us; it’s about how we evolve to work alongside it.
That’s exactly what we’re tackling at FRBR on February 25th—an event built to equip TA leaders with the strategies to optimize teams, streamline processes, and stay ahead in a world where AI is the co-pilot, but humans still take the wheel. If you’re ready to future-proof your recruiting career, this is the event to be at. Come listen to leaders like Kristen Lucia and Matt Lowney and sign up your whole TA team.??
CEO, Performance-based Hiring Learning Systems. Author, Hire with Your Head and The Essential Guide for Hiring.
1 周I asked Grok3 to create a hiring process based on how the best people change jobs and thrive not how companies want to find and hire these people. Then I asked what's out there that might be a good starting point - you might not like the answer - but it's the future of recruiting - https://grok.com/share/bGVnYWN5_5d3d54b5-4ba3-4ae4-9c29-79fbdbff634c
It’s going to be a part of everyday life.. just as the internet has.
Sourcing Recruiter Lead @ WBD, people connector, French fry aficionado #recruiter #sourcer #designjobs #newsproducerjobs #techjobs #jobhelperfinder #c0ffe3 #hiring #connectorofpeople #catherder #opentowork
1 周Catherine W. in case you’re interested
Chief Talent Officer & Workforce Planning Strategist
1 周Great perspectives Shannon Pritchett. I fully embrace education around AI for Talent Leaders. I’ve been most impressed with LLM and think there is a wealth of impact there for TA leaders and their respective teams. The real guidance is that we are in an experimental phase and this is where sourcing actually thrives. It is my opinion that a solid Sourcing Channel leader and Full Cycle Recruitment leader could really lead change and adoption. Again, thank you for this think piece and great job!
??Recruitment/talent/people/workforce acquisition evolutionary/strategist/manager ??Workforce/talent acquisition strategy to execution development/improvement, innovation, enthusiast ??
1 周?????????? It is very fast and comprehensively becoming clear that all the seriously massive shortcomings of humans in recruitment are becoming abundantly clear when looking at what it is AI can (and will) do. What so utterly few understand or acknowledge in wider world of people, talent workforce attraction and acquisition is where and how AI will simply floor any humans. Top of funnel is the biggest and also the one which human recruiters spend the most time on managing, and that AI can do flawlessly. When a company can carry out 40.000 interviews with 75% reduction in ressources and cost then it quickly becomes clear the direction of things. Literally everywhere in every single part of the process AI can and will come to have a giant impact, because with data as the overall owner of every element it can be used and cut in whichever way possible and is of a magnitude and certainty which is hard to dispute. Where it all leading to is anyone's guess, but decimation of humans involved is a given.