COVID-19 has impacted our lives in many ways, and the world of work has not escaped this. The adoption of AI and its associated applications, which have long been predicted to be transformative to our lives, has been accelerated in response to the COVID-19 crisis.  We have seen advances happening in months that previously were thought to take years to complete.

With many companies already starting to use automation as part of their hiring process, it is more important than ever that employers understand how AI technology is already starting to transform recruitment and the practical steps they can take to stay one step ahead of their competitors.

The recent Coronavirus pandemic has meant that we have seen the rapid adoption of many different technologies that we were not expecting to see until 2025 or 2030 – such as remote working and video conferencing. A recent report by consulting firm McKinsey reveals that recent data has shown that digital adoption in consumer and business behaviour has reached 2026 levels in just eight weeks.

How is AI improving recruitment?

Before the recent pandemic hit, AI and digital adoption were becoming an essential part of day-to-day life for many large businesses. Take Vodafone, for example – the volume of candidates that had applied for jobs pushed them to adopt an AI application to remove human bias from the recruitment process.

The tool can extract up to 25,000 data points, such as visual and verbal clues from video interviews – comparing body language, facial movements, tone and word choice to help employers identify the best candidates.

Although they are still in the early stages of testing this tool, they seem happy with how it works and have stated that it will be part of their future recruitment process.

What AI job roles will be needed?

The adoption of AI is transforming not just how employers are recruiting but who they are recruiting and how they are supporting, developing and training employees. Recently, the global research firm Gartner predicted that AI-related job creation would reach two million new jobs in the next few years.

Another report by The World Economic Forum also identified four key roles within AI that are already seeing increased demand:

However, while it may seem that only those who are already experienced in AI and data analysis will be able to take advantage of the growing number of roles on offer – a much larger recruitment base is needed to meet current and growing demand.

The good news is that if you are looking to break into the world of AI, you need to understand data – and this may only require a level of computer literacy essential for most current roles.

Data underpins the whole AI and machine learning area, and all of this data will need labelling to be processed – a task that needs human intervention to be completed correctly.

Avoiding bias in AI

A note of caution when it comes to AI, one of its biggest flaws is built-in bias – where the data the application is trained on is flawed, as it has already been affected by human bias. This is when fully trained teams of data analysts are needed to prevent the programming of bias in the first place and allow companies to modify AI programmes effectively if such issues arise.

To stay ahead of your competitors and recruit the best talent for your business, you need to approach the adoption of AI in recruitment in two ways:

  • Learn more about the technologies and techniques that can be used to improve the recruitment process itself
  • Identify the skills your organization will need to benefit from AI and machine learning and ensure existing talent is being developed.

Here at Agile Recruit, we have an intricate understanding of the world of data and analytics, so we can partner successfully with you to help your business change and adapt to the growth in the adoption of AI and machine learning. Contact us today to find out more.

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