SECTION 1
Key insights

The use of AI is already widespread and set to soar

AI - and what it's able to do - is already shaping recruitment and talent management processes. Given the huge opportunities AI can provide to HR, and in SMEs in particular, the spread of AI adoption isn’t surprising. However, AI needs to be implemented within businesses with a clear strategy and used responsibly.

Our research shows that the extent of integration of AI in recruitment varies greatly. At one end of the scale, talent teams are using tools such as Chat GPT to summarise notes. For others, automation is part of every stage of their recruitment process. To be truly effective, AI adoption needs to be intentional and in line with a clear strategy.

(See Section 5 for more detail on AI and ethics).

Humans and AI: a powerful combination

The automation of many manual processes has made talent teams more effective, rather than completely replacing them. Leveraging technology where it excels and tapping into human talent where it adds intellectual and emotional value is a powerful strategy. Harnessing AI and automation to act as a co-pilot saves time and liberates recruiters to focus on what they do best - bringing the human touch to the candidate experience, and leading strategic conversations with business leaders and internal stakeholders. It’s clear that HR teams need efficiencies and more effective recruitment and talent management strategies.

HR and recruitment teams spend an estimated 30% to 40% of their time on low-value admin tasks - AI and tech are key to improving efficiency.

When it comes to people being replaced by AI, the lowest value tasks that people do - which tend to be the tasks that they don't enjoy - are being replaced. This allows us to focus on more creative tasks. The human brain is still the only tool out there that is flexible enough to deal with rapidly changing environments.

Felix Mitchell
Founder and Co-CEO
at Instant Impact

The more commercially focused teams are using competitive intelligence outside of HR to give them an edge.

Toby Culshaw
Head of Talent Intelligence,
Amazon

Talent Intelligence: welcome to vital strategic insight

HR and TA professionals already recognise the power of TI, and its use is set to soar. In a world where lack of talent availability is becoming the number one risk for any CEO, TI is a critical tool for HR and TA teams. It provides an opportunity to contribute strategically to plans, mitigate risk and gain a competitive edge.