Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used in recruitment to help sort, rank, and filter job applications. At first glance, this can seem like an efficient way to manage large volumes of candidates. But when AI is used as a culling mechanism, it can also create serious risks if it is not carefully monitored by people who understand the role, the market, and the type of talent being sought. I recently had an experience while advertising a role on a well known platform that highlighted this risk clearly. Their AI filtered out candidates who, on review, were actually a great fit for the role. It was a strong reminder that automation should support recruitment decisions, not replace human judgement, hence why I always review every application myself.
The limits of AI in recruitment
At this point, AI in candidate management systems is not equipped to properly assess transferable skills. It can identify keywords, job titles, and patterns, but it often struggles to recognise the broader experience, capability, and potential that may make someone successful in a role. As a result, strong candidates can be overlooked simply because their background does not fit a narrow algorithmic profile. This is particularly problematic because many capable candidates do not have a perfectly linear career path. They may bring relevant experience from another industry, have developed valuable skills in a different context, or present their experience in a way that AI does not easily interpret. A human recruiter is far better placed to understand those nuances.
Why human review is essential
Recruitment is not just about matching words on a resume. It is about understanding capability, potential, motivation, and fit for the role and organisation. Human review allows recruiters and hiring managers to assess a candidate’s experience in context, rather than relying solely on automated filtering. When AI is used too heavily at the top of the funnel, it can unintentionally narrow the talent pool and reduce access to quality candidates.
The risk of missing strong talent
The biggest issue with AI-led culling is not just that suitable candidates may be rejected. It is that organisations may never know they were overlooked in the first place. Once a candidate is filtered out, they are often lost from the process entirely and their perception of the organisation has been tainted. This can be especially damaging in hard-to-fill, specialist, or competitive markets where the best candidates may not present themselves in a conventional way. In these cases, a recruiter’s judgement is essential to spot potential, not just pattern-match experience.
A better way to use AI
AI absolutely has a place in recruitment, but it should be used as a support tool rather than the final decision-maker. It can help with administrative efficiency, but it should not be relied on to make nuanced candidate assessments. Employers should regularly review how AI tools are filtering applicants, test whether suitable candidates are being excluded and continuously question what the system is doing. Otherwise, organisations risk missing strong talent simply because a tool was not able to recognise their transferable skills. The best hiring practices come from combining technology with human judgement.