It’s fair to say that 2023 has been an interesting year for talent acquisition.
TA professionals now find themselves sitting in an unwanted or unexpected new role, learning all about artificial intelligence and how it can help them hire faster. They're getting asked about it from all angles: managers, hiring managers, and even candidates. All of a sudden there's a new world of AI to learn and adopt; it’s only fair that these TA professionals have questions about what their role is shaping into.
Honestly, for as complex as AI can seem at times, it’s also only as complicated as you let it be. For those in TA, you don’t really need to fully grasp the inner labyrinthine workings of natural language processing — you just need to know how AI specifically relates to what you do on a daily basis, and how it can make things easier.
That being said, here are five things that are important to know about AI in TA right now.
1. Things are happening fast.
Does it seem like the conversation on AI has only become louder and louder in the past 6 months? Is it really possible vendors have made years of progress on their tech in a shorter period of time?. Breakthroughs in Large Language Models and the maturation of foundational players like OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and others has made AI more accessible now for organizations, schools, and everyday consumers in the apps they use every day.
2. The main value of AI in TA right now is scalability.
Is it good that things are happening so fast? Yes and no. Mostly yes.
There was a time I did frontline hiring earlier in my career, and if I wanted to be really tired at the end of the day, I could probably do 25 or 30 interviews in a day. After that, I’d go home really proud of myself. Olivia, what we call our conversational AI at Paradox, can screen or schedule thousands or tens of thousands in a day — which is sort of embarrassing for me. But that’s where the magic starts to happen. Now, I have a full day cleared for me because AI is handling an administrative task like interview scheduling so I can work on actually speaking to candidates. Plus, when I’m at home sleeping, Olivia is still working to schedule those late-night applicants.
3. Decisions are still for people.
If you asked me where I want my people to spend their time, it's allowing them to make great decisions.
What do you need to make a decision?
Time.
Information.
And the right person of course.
There's a lot that can be automated by AI, but critical decisions still belong with humans. Until we go deeper in terms of testing and regulation, that is the safest path. New York City, for example, decided that if you want to make decisions with AI, you can do that, but it needs to be tested in a certain way. Things are developing fast and you might be seeing your legal team or IT team get more involved in how you’re using AI, but for now, as long as you’re letting your people make the core decisions, you’ll be fine.
4. It’s still early.
We did a study recently with Harvard Business Review and there were two things that really stood out to me: Of all organizations that are using automation in the talent acquisition process, 97% agree that they're finding it valuable in their process. But here’s the kicker, only 11% of organizations say they’re using it to automate multiple steps in the hiring process.
And that means there's a massive opportunity for you to be early and get ahead of the competition. But it’s also a proven road, so you don’t need to wade into uncharted waters.
5. It may be early, but it’s not new.
One of my favorite quotes has always been, “as soon as it works, no one calls it AI anymore.”
No, that’s not from some TA conference a few weeks ago. The father of AI, John McCarthy, said this back in 1956.
We don't realize how much AI is in our lives because it's already a part of everything that we do. But rest assured, you used AI today in some way: You unlocked your phone with your face or you had a great music recommendation or something else you didn’t even notice because it’s so seamless and embedded in your daily life.
Even though it may feel daunting to take on the task of bringing AI into your TA function, you may be a lot more familiar with the tech than you think.
Want to listen to my full conversation on AI in TA?
Listen in as Kristen and I break down how TA leaders can adapt to technological change, navigate upcoming automation laws, and prepare for the future of hiring talent with AI.
We know AI is changing the world in many ways, from drive-thrus, to customer service, to talent acquisition. The reality is that technology has always transformed the way we work. So what does that mean for TA and HR leaders? Join us for this on-demand webinar with Paradox President and Chief Product Officer Adam Godson and Kristen Bailey, VP of Talent Acquisition at Paradox as they delve into the impact of AI on the future of recruiting.
