AI adoption in human resources – not so fast

I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to sift through all the literature and hyperbole around AI and human resources. On the one hand, there’s no denying that HR presents AI with fertile ground to unleash itself, given the highly transactional and administrative nature of what it delivers. But on the other hand, where do you start and how do you accomplish keeping the “human” in human resources?

Let’s take Talent Acquisition as an example, as it’s a core HR function that’s widely regarded as one of the best use cases to implement AI capabilities. It also serves as a canary in the coal mine for how ready a company is overall to adopt AI.

Why is Talent Acquisition a great use case for AI?

Recruitment isn’t rocket-science. However it’s very transactional and strategic all at the same time. The reason AI and Talent Acquisition fit so nicely is because the tasks where AI can be used require a learning component that build on experiences and human intervention. Resumé sorting is by far the low-hanging fruit in this regard and is screaming for tech intervention. Whether a company is moving towards skill-based hiring or credential-based hiring, AI can be trained to shortlist the high volumes of resumés they receive, which saves time and allows the recruiter to focus on more worthy tasks which only a human can do (for now).

Then at some point in the process, after the resumés have been shortlisted, engagement with the hiring manager comes into play. This is where you can really see if a company is truly ready to adopt AI. Does the hiring manager trust that AI has done the job it was meant to or is there cynicism around what they just received? Or even before we get to this point, is the hiring manager engaging through the applicant-tracking-system, or are they working outside the system and asking the recruiter to send them bundles of resumés by email?

I realize this is a simple scenario, but in my 20 years of leading recruitment across different organizations, I have seen this as a bellwether on how ready a company is for technology change, let alone AI. A company can buy all the latest and trendiest AI technology platforms on the market, but it will all be for naught if no one is using it. Therein lies one of the main obstacles to AI transformation.

AI adoption requires everyone

An industry colleague was recently bemoaning the fact that no-one in their company, not even their recruiters, was using an industry-leading AI tool they recently purchased that was meant to improve and automate candidate experience. After digging a little further, what became glaringly apparent was that the company was simply not ready culturally for such a tool and not enough had gone into organizational change management to get them there. We don’t expect workers to suddenly come back to the office after years of working remotely, there’s always a gradual back-to-work plan that companies undertake — so how can we expect a company whose employees have been living in the machine age to suddenly become AI fluent?

In researching this topic, I’ve seen a similar playbook being followed that may seem basic but should be noted nonetheless:

• All hands on deck: AI adoption must be embraced by everyone in the company, including senior executives, and the change management process needs to be started well-in-advance of implementing any new technology

• Identify easy use cases: Identify the obvious use-cases for AI, which are usually the repeatable transactional tasks that require heavy manual inputs, and then build new capabilities from there. This will limit the dreaded detractor mindset that seems to always derail change of any kind

• Showcase and highlight positive change: if a new AI function saved you time in one area which allowed you to succeed in another, shout it from the rooftops and let everyone know. Nothing frustrates someone more than making them change their comfortable ways for no tangible reason other than for the company to claim they have an AI mindset

No one wants to be left behind in the AI race or be labelled a dinosaur, and that fear is causing companies to adopt technologies for which they may not ready. This can set their technology agenda back years.

I personally have never given into trends and I’m fortunate to work for a company that’s taking a thoughtful approach to this topic. If anyone wants to call me a dinosaur for it, then I’ll take that any day over a lifeless canary.

Thomas Byun is the Global Director, Talent Acquisition at Hatch in Toronto.