C-Suite talks HR: Indeed’s SVP reveals why HR should never fear AI

An impending avalanche of technological changes is approaching your HR department at break-neck speed. AI, real-time analytics and data are the new order of the day – leaving employers the choice of evolving to meet demands or being left by the wayside.

And there’s no other sector of HR being impacted quite so heavily as recruitment.

“If you think about what’s happening in the industry right now, everything we do from the candidate introduction through to the employee experience, there’s some dramatic changes underway,” explained Raj Mukherjee, SVP of Product at Indeed.

“How we evaluate CVs sand conduct interviews will change drastically over the coming years. Take job descriptions, for example. They’re still a glob of text, having remained essentially unchanged over the past 30 years. Soon, they’ll be much more delineated – whereby candidates can see quickly whether or not they’ll be a good fit for the role on offer.”

Naturally, the job description is not the only thing candidates look at when considering whether or not to apply for a role – but it’s a pretty important part of the process. Mukherjee believes that natural language processing will soon dramatically change job description’s role in the recruitment circle – both for jobseekers are employers.

But, considering the boundless improvements technology on this scale can bring, why do some employers still fear AI?

“There’s many people who’ve gone on record to say that AI will change how we fundamentally operate as human beings,” continued Mukherjee. “But, if you ask me, there’s a personal aspect and a pragmatic aspect we’re seeing across the board.

“Personally, I don’t fear AI; but as with any technological changes there’s always been an element of fear that’s arrived alongside it. From a pragmatic standpoint, these changes need to happen for any company to be successful. AI will reduce bias in operations whilst also increasing and complementing human knowledge with human analysis.

“There’ll be some fear until we can prove AI can help people find success in their respective fields.”

Another main concern on the minds of HR leaders, is how to use data not only effectively but, quintessentially, morally.

“Often times were finding that of data is not used appropriately, it leads to very unfortunate outcomes – very biased outcomes,” added Mukherjee.

“One of the first principles is understanding the type of data you’re collecting. If you’re collecting data that’s only applicable to a certain segment of the market you’re serving, then the outcome will be disheartening. Employers need to question which data they’re working on and ensure it reflects their entire business footprint.”

Employers also need to be careful when analysing data, Raj told us. It’s essential that you know what you’re looking at so that any predictive analytics which spring from a set of data can be trusted.

“The hard work happens here – with data collection, understating and cleaning. Only then can AI be relied upon to work as it should.”