AI is not the new printer, but the colleague standing there

Imagine a Job Description generator that has a lot of speed and comes buttoned up with bias controls. Or a tool that helps find exactly the right talent without spending too much time at the top of the funnel. All this is underway, as we learn in a chat with Anand V, Chief Information Officer, APAC – Randstad.

“Customers are also speeding up onboarding of talent. The payroll areas and expense reimbursement parts are also being accelerated with agentic AI. AI is redefining the entire IT landscape, irrespective of the domain. We are using AI on two fronts- for internal employee experience and talent experience. In the former area, we are giving our employees the best-of-the-world tools for elevating productivity and intelligent automation collaboration. We have LLMs with a walled-garden approach. Employees can leverage AI assistants that help in various tasks but also help with brainstorming, getting new ideas and driving productivity. On the latter front, we can help the industry in a big need area, which is that talent wants to be found quickly and placed in the best opportunities. Customers also want this part done quickly and precisely.”

This progress is happening in cognisance of the pitfalls, deaf spots and dead ends that AI still confronts.

He cites how some teams have tapped an AI tool to create job descriptions without bias, which has been improved a lot with phenomenal feedback.  “AI can get biased with the same set of data, and that’s where responsible AI policy and legal/privacy angles are important. We are very cautious on those fronts. AI has its issues and bias is one among them. We are very careful when it comes to talent sourcing and identification. We are happy that the time window has come down from days to minutes, and with proper guardrails on bias. We are working very hard on putting in strong guardrails and policy frameworks through the right data usage.”

Do you ever come across the Moravec paradox? He answers that with a candid ‘yes’. “There are still clues in interviews that many candidates give- like nervousness- that humans pick faster than technology does. AI is still not there. Ex- a simple task like sending documents to customers may sound very repetitive and structured, but when the file names change or when small variations occur in content, AI can struggle. And refers it back to humans.”

Nevertheless, he is confident about the pace and depth that the path shows next. “We are trying many areas to make employees' experiences world-class. They can find solutions to repetitive tasks and feel more valued. Incidentally, a big part of these projects is driven by Gen Z teams with their mindset and articulation.”

There is also a lot of new expected in adding fun to the processes. “Gamification and the ability to find a job yourself through new tools- all that is possible. It will happen in the future. Right now, engagement in post-joining phases like training, coaching, development material, etc., is happening. “

Incidentally, in a McKinsey Global survey on the State of AI, 2024, it emerged that Human Resources (13 per cent) as a function using GenAI is somewhere in between Marketing and Sales (42 per cent) and Manufacturing (five per cent). About 10 per cent in HR usage saw a cost-reduction of 20 per cent, and 14 per cent a reduction between 11 and 19 per cent through the use of GenAI. Gartner has also indicated that from June 2023 to January 2024, the number of HR leaders conducting GenAI pilots and planning implementations doubled. In 2024, HR leaders conducting pilots/proofs of concept were 18 per cent, and those who had already implemented were 11 per cent, as per Gartner. There were 34 per cent who were exploring potential use-cases and opportunities. And the primary use-cases were mostly employee-facing chatbots, administrative tasks, and job description/skills data.

The future of HR seems to be shaping up to be not just punctuated with AI but powered by it. Not just the new printer. But the printing press, again.