Artificial intelligence technology can be puzzling and intimidating to many of us, even as we might be able to acknowledge its benefits, but there is one key consideration that is helpful for human resources professionals (and others) to remember: How we decide to use it is up to us.
 

Of course, that’s part of the tension around AI in human resources. The technology continues to evolve – fast – while many HR teams are still learning the capabilities and drawbacks of early models. Still, working around AI altogether is no longer an option. According to a recent survey from Resume Builder, 70 percent of companies will use AI for hiring in 2025 – and with good reason: The technology can perform certain administrative and data processing tasks faster than any combination of human employees.

On the flip side, companies should be aware that relying too heavily on AI, or failing to involve skilled humans capable of metacognitive thought in the direction and constant assessment of AI-driven results, risks more than just allowing good candidates to slip through their fingers.

As hiring teams and leadership plan for the new year, their energies are best spent not wringing hands over the increased role of AI in the HR space but rather exploring which artificial intelligence technologies are right for their organization.

Here are three tips to keep in mind as your organization considers its AI-in-HR approach:

1. Choose Technology That Will Withstand the Test of Time

Selecting the right technology to suit a particular business is a modern and now-constant problem for people who may not have a technology background. That’s why it’s important to involve all the appropriate stakeholders from your company in its selection – from the people managers who will be using it to the IT officers who may be troubleshooting any technical issues in its integration.

Prioritize choosing a dynamic AI technology that will maintain its relevance and use case in light of rapid and frequent advancements. Selecting supporting AI tech that will last through new rounds of progress in the space is cost effective, and it promotes the development of institutional expertise over time.

This helps prevent rounds of retraining that often lead to stretches of low productivity. If finding and settling on the best AI technology ultimately requires hiring a consultant, those will be resources well spent.

2. Allow Computers to Be Computers

Artificial intelligence is designed to maximize efficiency and automate tasks, not replace Suzy in the corner cubicle or manage the hiring process from start to finish. In fact, in Criteria’s 2024-2025 Hiring Benchmark Survey, three out of four hiring professionals said emotional intelligence is the most important skill to look for in job candidates, and assessing a candidate’s emotional intelligence isn’t something that can be wholly left to technology.

AI is meant to maximize efficiency and automate tasks, so lean into technologies built to do exactly that rather than trying to replace humans or their traditional functions. Humans provide important skills – critical discernment, problem solving, adaptation and interpersonal interaction – that no machine can replicate or reproduce. As it turns out, Suzy still brings a lot to the table.

3. Ensure All Artificial Intelligence Is Validated

Another important human task. AI can only take its cues from humans, process the inputs selected by humans and deliver the results to be judged, at the end of the day, by humans. Part of the process of incorporating artificial intelligence into an organization’s HR operations is the regular evaluation of AI outputs and recalibrating inputs as needed.

Technology will always be subject to the perspectives and potential biases of its manufacturers and users. An AI model that is fed criteria for an organization’s ideal candidate, for instance, will categorize and prioritize prospects based on any predilections or preconceptions – even if not necessarily ill-intentioned – held by the human doing the feeding. To ensure that your company is targeting optimal candidates while adhering to equal-opportunity standards and promoting culture-expanding and productivity-boosting diversity, humans must be assigned the task of vetting AI findings. (There’s that critical thinking component again!) Implementing ethical and fair use of technology also requires an organization to establish and adhere to a clear framework of guiding principles for AI.

Human resources is, by definition, in the people business. No matter which technology your organization ultimately selects, remember that when it comes to people management and hiring, decision-making should never be exclusively left up to artificial intelligence.

Author Bio

Chris Daden is CTO of Criteria Corp.

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