Organizations are increasingly relying on artificial intelligence to help make hiring decisions — with 68% expected to actively use AI in 2025, according to Resume Builder. However, job seekers are cautious about their potential employer's use of AI throughout recruiting and hiring.
We surveyed potential job seekers to determine their sentiments surrounding the use of AI in the hiring process, and the results showed a deep discomfort among the general public. However, this presents companies with the opportunity to be proactive in developing their strategies for using AI in hiring in a way that can benefit those applying for job openings.
Continue reading to learn more about our survey findings and where potential employees are most comfortable with AI in the hiring process.
- Over 65% of people are uncomfortable with employers using AI in recruiting and hiring.
- People are most comfortable with AI for supportive HR tasks.
- Almost 90% of people want companies to be upfront about using AI in recruitment and hiring.
- Less personalization and privacy are leading concerns of using AI in recruiting and hiring.
People are wary of AI and its use in talent acquisition, with 66.67% of respondents saying they are somewhat or very uncomfortable with AI reviewing their resumes and making decisions on their candidacy. This highlights two important considerations: education and human interaction.
First, our finding presents an educational opportunity for companies to present how AI-based hiring works in their organization. Many people fear what they don't understand, leading them to avoid it completely. If users see only a notification that you are using AI in the hiring process, their fears of AI may lead them to not apply, causing you to potentially miss out on highly qualified applicants. Educating prospective applicants on exactly how your company utilizes AI in the hiring process will make them more comfortable.
Educating people who interact with your company will increase their comfort level with technology because they will have a higher level of understanding. This can be a resource found on the careers page or a portion of the description in your job listings.
Some points you should include are:
- How your company is using AI
- The type of AI you’re using
- How AI is being used to support your existing teams
- Where users can expect to interact with AI
- How their personal information is used and stored
- Who they can contact with questions and concerns
The finding also highlights the importance of having human interaction in recruitment and hiring processes with AI to support HR teams with strategic implementation of the technology. Utilizing AI-powered recruitment tools to bolster your HR teams allows them to dedicate more time to personalization and connecting with applicants.
According to our previous survey on how AI empowers the employee journey, 54.99% of current employees say they trust AI more than human HR representatives. They believed AI could add to the employee experience in specific areas such as training, performance reviews, and onboarding.
This showcases the stark difference in sentiment regarding AI in the workplace between current and potential employees. With more current employees trusting AI tools, companies should focus their initial AI in HR implementation efforts on supporting existing teams over using the technology in hiring processes. Companies can bridge the gap by leveraging positive employee feedback about AI to reassure job seekers and build credibility.
While job seekers prefer human interaction during the hiring process, people accept that AI is a supportive tool that frees HR teams to focus on tasks needing human interaction.
Survey respondents ranked their comfort with AI use in specific tasks to demonstrate this. The tasks from most to least comfortable are:
- Interview scheduling
- Candidate sourcing (e.g., AI written job postings, reaching out to potential candidates)
- Candidate screening (e.g., pre-screening interviews, skills assessments)
- Resumé screening (i.e., categorizing candidates based on skills and experience)
- Onboarding new employees
- Decision-making (e.g., ranking candidates, predictive analysis)
As your HR team drives business transformation by including AI capabilities in their workflow, consider implementing the technology in the above-listed order to build trust with your stakeholders. It’s clear, given the data, that people are especially uncomfortable with AI being used to make hiring decisions.
As a result, companies should only use AI with human monitoring to ensure applicants feel truly considered. With continued use of AI, you’ll also accumulate real-time data on your talent pool, which you can use to adjust your technology use as needed and improve candidate experience.
While agentic AI can provide greater working experiences, people still want transparency about its use. An overwhelming 89.38% of respondents believe companies need to be upfront about using AI in hiring processes.
This means clearly stating if the technology is in use and how businesses use it. But where should companies display this information?
Survey respondents indicate that AI use information should be visible and not hidden in long legal text. Preferred locations are in a job listing and on the careers page of a company website. However, many respondents noted they would prefer a verbal or in-person notification of AI-powered recruitment tools.
Of those who indicated they had other concerns, the responses were having no concerns at all, inaccuracy of AI, and vulnerable and faulty programming. Many respondents also fear the loss of nuances, the ability to read body language, and other human aspects with AI use. Some of the smaller details, like how a person dresses for an interview or noting their nervousness, are things people are afraid AI won’t notice and consider.
Details still matter, and companies can make sure there is a human review portion of all applications and interviews to catch these smaller details that are important. Increased education, explanation of use policies, and human interaction will help address the concerns of those applying to work at your company.
According to generative AI statistics, businesses are increasingly using AI to help alleviate repetitive tasks, boost productivity, and increase satisfaction among current employees. There’s no denying the benefits of AI use for businesses; however, there are still some concerns among the general public and those seeking employment.
Using AI in the hiring process will allow companies to close job openings faster than relying solely on human processes. These advantages, along with when and how companies use AI in hiring, must be clearly communicated to job seekers in ways they prefer. By using AI to automate repetitive tasks, HR teams can focus on strategic initiatives, ultimately creating a better experience for both employees and candidates.
To begin your company’s AI journey, explore ServiceNow’s HR Service Delivery to automate your team’s capabilities.