AI in talent acquisition and recruitment: Opportunities and ethical challenges
Shivinder Phoolka
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing talent acquisition and recruitment processes across industries by enabling data-driven decision-making, improving efficiency, and reducing human bias—at least in theory. This paper explores the dual-edged impact of AI in recruitment, focusing on both the opportunities it creates and the ethical challenges it introduces. On one hand, AI-powered tools streamline candidate sourcing, resume screening, and interview scheduling, leading to time and cost savings. These technologies can enhance candidate-job fit through predictive analytics and reduce unconscious bias through standardized evaluations. On the other hand, the use of algorithms raises critical ethical questions related to transparency, fairness, data privacy, and accountability. Biased training data can perpetuate systemic discrimination, while the lack of explainability in AI decisions can undermine trust among applicants and HR professionals. This paper presents a balanced discussion, drawing from recent case studies and research, and proposes a framework for responsible AI adoption in recruitment. It concludes by emphasizing the need for a human-AI hybrid approach to ensure ethical, inclusive, and effective talent acquisition strategies in the digital era.
Shivinder Phoolka. AI in talent acquisition and recruitment: Opportunities and ethical challenges. Int J Res Hum Resour Manage 2022;4(1):139-143. DOI: 10.33545/26633213.2022.v4.i1b.306