With technology becoming more common in day-to-day work, it’s no surprise that recruitment has started to shift too. Many companies are already using AI in some way to help screen and manage applications, but is that really the best way to choose who to bring on board? It’s not a black and white situation, and the answer probably depends on what kind of role you're hiring for, how many people you need, and how much time you’ve got. Both sides have their advantages—and their blind spots.
Where AI Can Help
Imagine you’ve got a job posting that brings in hundreds of CVs. Going through all of them manually would take hours, maybe days. AI software can scan through the lot quickly, flagging up candidates who seem to meet the criteria based on qualifications or keywords. It’s fast, and that’s useful. It’s also helpful when you're hiring at scale. If a company is growing rapidly and needs to bring in dozens of people, AI can help move things along at a pace that would be difficult to manage with people alone. It applies the same rules to every applicant, doesn’t get tired, and won’t forget to follow up. Some say AI helps reduce bias. If it’s programmed well, it can treat every application the same way, ignoring things that might influence human decisions unfairly—like age, gender, or where someone went to school. In theory, that should make for a fairer process. But AI systems aren’t neutral by default. They learn from the data they’re given, and if that data includes biased decisions from the past, the AI can pick those up and repeat them—only faster. That’s a risk, especially if no one’s checking what’s going on under the surface.
Why People Still Matter
Even with all the speed and structure that AI offers, there are plenty of things it misses. Humans are better at picking up on subtle things. They’ll notice if someone has taken an unusual career path and might want to ask why, rather than just seeing it as a mismatch. They can read tone in a cover letter, or understand the story behind a CV that doesn’t follow a straight line. People can also adjust their thinking. If a candidate doesn’t tick all the boxes but shows promise in another way, a person might decide it’s worth having a chat. That kind of judgement call often gets lost in automated systems. And then there’s the human side of hiring—the conversations, the rapport, the sense of whether someone will get on well with the team. Machines don’t pick up on that kind of thing—not yet, anyway. Of course, people have their faults too. Decisions can be swayed by gut instinct, or by small, unrelated details. We all carry unconscious preferences, and sometimes they creep in, even when we try to be fair.
Stronger Together
To be honest, it’s not about choosing between one or the other. The best hiring processes tend to use a mix. Let the tech take care of the admin—screening applications, setting up interviews, maybe even doing a first pass at skills testing. That way, the hiring team’s got a bit more breathing room—to actually speak with people, understand their background, and see how they’d get on in the role and with the wider team. AI’s useful for cutting through the volume and staying organised. But when it comes to reading the finer details—those bits that don’t show up in a spreadsheet—that’s where a person still does a better job. Sometimes, a real person just has that extra bit of perspective—you can pause, look at the whole picture, and pick up on the sort of detail a machine wouldn’t even know to look for. It’s not really about choosing one over the other. In most cases, it makes sense to use a bit of both—machines for the bulk work, people for the judgement calls.
Final Thoughts
We don’t need to put AI and humans against each other. In practice, they each bring something useful to the table. It’s not a matter of which is “better”—it’s about knowing when to use one, when to rely on the other, and how they can work side by side. A good hiring process is rarely just data-driven or just instinctual—it’s often a bit of both.
Looking to Change Your Hiring Process?
We understand that organising and sorting through potential candidates can feel overwhelming. Depending on your growth, we can help you build a team that works. Reach out today and let us build a hiring process that works for you.
