The controversy of AI replacing recruiters span over pages and pages across the internet, fueling a never-ending brawl between those who believe in it, and those rejecting machines taking over. While both sides put forth pretty convincing arguments and evidence as to why they think they’re on the right side of it, still, no one seems to be even close to a concrete conclusion. We just have to wait and see for ourselves.
AI (ML/DL) — Machine Learning/Deep Learning has already taken over several aspects of our daily lives, and it was just a matter of time before it would’ve made its way to the recruitment process. Today, we witness numerous companies using the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) software as a ground-breaking move towards automation and lessening human interaction in hiring. That being said, we decide to take a more in-depth, more penetrating look into the subject and touch on the solid points the two groups make on the subject. Will AI take over the recruitment process to banish us into a futuristic sci-fi dystopia? Or humans will stay stand in power? What would be the repercussions of AI replacing human recruiters? Don’t go anywhere; it’s going to get apocalyptic!
“AI replacing recruiters” never happens! Though it enables them…
To some extent, we are benefiting from AI and automation technologies busting into recruitment processes, and taking control. Different segments of the hiring teams face an ever-growing machine-learning presence, revolutionizing the face of the game. As mentioned above, the ATS platform has proven itself ultimately valuable by not streamlining candidate selection; and not entirely disrupting the management role in the whole thing.
ATS shifts the manager role into a more right-in-the-middle-of-action situation, providing a “recruiting for dummies” model. By doing so, ATS guides managers through the end-to-end recruitment process, removing extra burden off their shoulders, and opening up space and time for them. It wouldn’t come across as a shock if, in near reality, major platforms and recruitment tools raise a white flag to the advancements of ATS technology and incorporate a parody into their own systems.
If you want to know how ATS technology helps AI replacing human recruiters phobia, here are some examples for you:
· Opening a job
· Job-ad writing
· Job-ad posting
· Job-candidate matching mechanism
· Candidate assessment & scheduling interviews
· Communication & scheduling
· Onboarding phase
These questions might pop up in your head: “ok, we get it. Automation and AI-based selection have become a thing. But does it necessarily mean that humans are out of the picture? Is the dystopia marching from theory into reality? Should we be scared of losing our jobs?”
The answer to all these terrifying questions would be a big fat, “No!.” Although AI technologies in candidate selection and hiring leave no place for doubt, the human touch still overthrows the hand of AI in many sections and positions. Despite the convincing benefits of imprinting an AI technology and its long list of benefits, in the end, it’s the humans who have to apply for a job.
At the other end, similarly, it’s humans who have to pick the best-fits for openings in the company. No matter how technologically-advanced the ATS and other similar recruiting software get, the presence of human touch can’t be ignored.
Recruiting Technologies Take Charge Before Anything Starts
A great plus to AI replacing human recruiters myth would be the fast-and-furious nature of the AI technologies. Platforms like ATS take charge before their human counterparts even notice the situation and begin their job. The automated systems proactively search through the database and sort out the most qualified candidates beforehand, disregarding the company’s hiring situation being on a stale mode. It scams through dozens of inactive and passive applicants –without banging the slightest alert to the hiring team — organizes them, and keep them ready for the day the organization requires new signups.
Why Automation Won’t Replace Human Recruiters?
So far, we’ve established the current and futuristic benefits of implementing an AI recruiting program in the company and succumbing to the AI replacing human recruiters dystopia. However, let’s not forget that humans hire humans, and all the while the AI technologies increase the paste, efficiency, and effectiveness of hiring processes, there are yet some gaps that the machine-learning systems just can’t fulfill. Let’s take a look at those, right now:
1. Lack of Empathy for candidates
Empathy has always been Achilles’ heel for machine-based learning technologies.
Human relationships are one of the things AI lacks. While humans build relationships over time, growing empathy for one another, AI could never hope for a human being to land a job. Humans can become friends, and pass on their knowledge and expertise to one another, in attempts to help each other. AI technologies, on the other hand, feel no such things, and couldn’t care less about one’s succession or failure.
Despite everyone’s fear and distaste of the interviews, and the whole recruitment process in general, going through these steps helps build emotional bridges between humans. In time, these connections infuse into a stronger and more caring relationship; something that AI is missing. Because of the lack of personality, and culture, AI fails in experiencing the human touch.
2. Human recruiters can sell a job
“AI replacing human recruiters” sounds profoundly promising, but it still has a tough time selling a human on a job. AI technologies are quite skilled in matching up the required-skills to the experiences put down on a resume, thus, pinpointing the best candidates for a job. However, it takes a whole lot more to actually convince someone to apply for a job.
It takes a human to understand how to sell and present an opportunity. While the machines host no emotional criteria of the job, humans try to explain the job to another. For example, and unlike computers, humans emphasis on more “softer” and “appealing” elements of the job, and, in the meantime, slowly adding in the more “harsher” elements of the work.
Also, the AI lacks the ability of persuasion. Times over time, applicants have firmly said “no” to a company without realizing the entire premise of the job or how the company actually functions. In these situations, human recruiters swoop in to save the day by thoroughly explaining the position and circumstances.
AI is impeccable when it comes to analyzing the data, but it’s hopeless when it comes to decoding human emotions. Many recruiters have gone through the experience of selling an applicant on a job by merely gaining their trust over time and explaining what a job truly entails and the benefits.
3. Less influence on the job
As the undercoverrecruiter.com puts in one of its blogs on AI replacing human recruiters: “AI is knowledgeable in acting on instructions and finding CVs based on a specific brief. However, AI cannot influence the process or challenge the job spec. Whereas human recruiters can do this and very often by consulting the client’s expectations, you understand more about what the business needs, and this may broaden the criteria for the right hire for them. Therefore, human recruiters are influencers and not simply box tickers, which is ultimately all AI.”
4. Love is the deciding factor
Many of us fell in love with our jobs before committing to them; that’s just how we pick out our future. While passion plays a huge role in our destiny, for an ever-lasting AI with no empathy or emotions, a flourishing passion for a job equals nothing.
The love we’re hosting for a job motivates us to do it correctly and perform at the highest levels. For the AI technologies, on the other hand, the presets are completely different, and they act as they’ve been programmed, without feeling any connection to the job or other humans involved in it. AI can never replace the mutual feelings between humans.
5. Humans recruit humans
As previously mentioned, AI enables data-driven decision making. Conversely, recruitment is the ultimate “human being industry,” resting upon us to be done. No matter how sophisticated, advanced, and problem-solving the recruiting AI gets, it will still rely on humans to finish the job.
Truth be told, no one’s future can solemnly rest upon some data extracted from a machine-based learning system. To hire a candidate, more than just data should be taken into consideration, and to achieve that, the human touch is needed. The process is a tactile one, something AI can’t reach for now, but maybe in the near future some its insufficiencies can be dealt with, like high-concept sci-fi movies.
Until then, we are safe to say that AI replacing human recruiters is not happening and only, partially, some AI technologies have been accepted and put into use.
