Everything You Wanted to Know About AI in TA, But Were Afraid to Ask - JobSync Roundtable Recap
At the end of March 2025, we hosted a panel of four experts to answer questions from our talent community about artificial intelligence in TA. It was an incredible roundtable, and you can watch the whole thing here.
We had well over 50 questions from the audience going into the discussion, and the panel did the best they could to cover the highlights. Here's a summary of the discussion.
How does artificial intelligence in recruiting actually work?
Think of it this way: AI isn't really "thinking" or "understanding" like a person does. Instead, it's finding patterns in data. Sometimes huge amounts of data! It uses these patterns to predict what the next best word should be in a sentence or what the most likely good outcome is based on what it learned during training. What's really key here is understanding how the companies selling these AI tools trained their specific models – what data did they feed it?
Tell me more about AI’s training data. What kind of data is (or should be) used?
You know the saying, "garbage in, garbage out"? That's super true for AI. The quality of the AI depends entirely on the data it learns from. For talent acquisition, data that's specific to your domain and shows successful outcomes (like profiles of people who were great hires) is gold. While huge models like ChatGPT needed the whole internet to learn, the AI you use in your company often works well on smaller datasets that are specific to your company. Experts actually expect that eventually, companies will build their own AI models trained just on their unique data to handle their specific hiring tasks.
How should talent acquisition handle compliance and potential bias when using AI?
Bias in AI often creeps in because the data it was trained on wasn't diverse enough, wasn't complete, or is just plain old. But bias can also come from the algorithms themselves or even from how we phrase our questions to the AI! It's really important to look closely at how vendors trained their models, make sure there's always a human checking things over, and be really thoughtful about how you construct your queries. Data privacy is another big one – even simple tools can accidentally reveal sensitive info if you're not careful.
What are the must-have AI tools for talent tech right now?
Starting with AI that's already built into tools you probably use every day, like Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini, is a great first step for things like drafting job descriptions or candidate emails. Beyond that, the market is still figuring things out. The best approach is to experiment! Focus on tools that your whole team will actually use for specific needs, like making scheduling smoother. And make sure you measure if they're actually freeing up recruiter time and helping you hire better. The main idea is to focus on fixing the process first, and then finding the right tool, and also looking for ways AI can help across different teams in your company.
What's the best way to train myself and my team about the value of AI in recruiting and how to use it effectively?
When you train your team, focus on how AI helps the company achieve bigger business goals, not just on how individuals can save a few minutes. Frame AI as a smart tool to help you hit your objectives. Since AI doesn't have common sense like we do, really emphasize how important it is to give it clear, specific instructions (prompts) to get the results you want. Learning to ask better questions is absolutely key to getting valuable outputs and showing stakeholders that AI is worth the investment.
How are candidates using AI, and what should we do about it?
Candidates are definitely using AI to polish their resumes, write cover letters, and even figure out what skills they might be missing. Some are using it to fire off applications in bulk. Most experts actually think this isn't as big a problem as it might seem. If both candidates and recruiters use AI smartly, it could actually make the early parts of the hiring process faster for everyone. Companies should be clear about their rules for using AI in specific steps, like interviews or coding tests, and communicate those rules openly. There are also tools starting to pop up that can help detect if content from candidates was generated by AI.
Is AI going to take recruitment jobs?
Experts generally agree that AI won't completely replace recruiters, but it will definitely change the job. While AI might take over some of the more routine tasks like screening resumes, scheduling interviews, and finding lots of candidates, the truly human parts of recruiting – your gut feeling, building real connections, empathy, and navigating tricky situations – those are irreplaceable. Recruiters might shift their focus more towards later stages, like negotiating offers and figuring out if someone is truly the right fit. They might become more like trusted advisors or problem-solvers in the hiring process. The key is "human plus AI," not "human versus AI."
What will the workforce look like in the AI-powered future?
The workforce is probably going to look quite different. Being able to think critically, adapt quickly, and keep learning will be super valuable skills. People who can effectively use AI to get high-quality results fast will really stand out. Employers might start looking for individuals who are good at solving problems and building solutions, maybe shifting away from hiring just for very narrow, specific roles towards finding versatile people who can tackle challenges.
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Interested in joining a roundtable?
We host them every month, usually on the third Wednesday of the month. You can find the latest on our website: https://www.jobsync.com/rmrt/