Yesterday I spoke at RCSA’s Talent X conference. It’s been a while since I’ve attended a conference, and I’d forgot how much I enjoy them. Either that, or Talent X exceeded my expectations in terms of attendees, content, and format. Although it’s slightly odd wearing headphones all day and moving between two stages running simultaneously, I’m actually a convert. It’s like a silent disco without the MDMA (well I took a little bit, but you get the point).
There’s something oddly comforting about the predictability of our industry. Every few years, we rediscover a new technology, panic about it for a bit, then reassure ourselves that nothing could possibly replace the human touch. Lately, and of course yesterday, that conversation has turned to AI. And if I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard a recruiter or AI vendor solemnly declare, “We’ll never use AI to reject interviewed candidates,” I’d have enough money to train my own large language model to love me like my Dad never did. These statements are delivered with the same earnest conviction as “I’ll never drink again”, “We don’t actually use agencies.”, and “No, not there. Not until we’re married“. You know the person saying it means it at the time. Sort of.
Us Recruiters especially love to believe that we’re irreplaceable. And this means we are destined to look at AI with a level of naivety. And because we believe a computer could never do our job, those who sell AI to us have to do it with our delicate egos in mind. AI vendors will say things like, “We would never use AI to make rejection decisions, only to assist humans.”. Which is of course corporate-speak for: “Of course it f*cking rejects candidates.”. The real reason vendors make these claims isn’t ethics, it’s perception. They know recruiters get squeamish about the idea of a machine doing their job better, faster, and without the hangover. So they soothe us with reassuring soundbites about “augmenting, not replacing.” and everyone nods. To quote those d*ckhead motivational speakers, they’re taking us on a journey. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, their product roadmaps read like a dystopian checklist.
I have spent much of my life saying I’ll never do something, only to be destroyed by my own hypocrisy days, weeks, months, or years later. One minute you’re saving yourself for marriage, the next you’re “LongDongSilver69” on a swingers website. Currently we stand at a technological precipice. When it comes to AI, I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we will be using it to do stuff we said we would never allow. And if we don’t, we won’t exist as recruiters. I have such confidence not because of insight. It’s simply history repeating.
“We’ll never stop using paper CVs.”
“We deliver cupcakes for every placement.”
“Of course we need a printer!!”
and my favourite and most recent…
“We interview every candidate in person“. I mean, what a laughable idea that is now. If we’re to learn anything from history, it’s that in recruitment “never” usually means “just not yet.”. In the near future, AI won’t just be rejecting candidates. It’ll be interviewing them and sending them to the client. Often without our input. Gulp!
So next time someone in the pub promises that AI will “never replace human interaction,” just smile politely (or not), sink your pint, and file it under Famous Last Words.
^SW
