Disruption. From the ‘rise of the machines’ aka the industrial revolution to the surge of the ‘world wide web’ aka the technological revolution, the disruptions altered almost every aspect of human existence. With outcomes like improved operational efficiency and enhanced productivity, they made a clear break with the past regarding how things were done; more specifically how work was done.  And the world as it was known changed for good. The technological revolution changed everything right from how we communicate to how we choose the most mundane things in life, like shopping.

We are at the brink of a similar disruption yet again. When we talk about disruption and innovation today, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is probably the coolest word on the Internet.  In his speech at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in October 2015, Elon Musk described AI as “summoning the demon,” and the creation of a rival to human intelligence. It is the most buzzing topic with the widest implication for all of us. Here are 5 reasons, why this demon is here to stay and is bringing positive impact in the recruitment industry.

1. AI taps the supreme power of knowledge. Technology is not only capable of gathering a wider gamut of information about a candidate but is also able to filter out the noise data and condense what’s relevant to the employer.
2. Even if you manage to create a dossier with the entire spectrum of information about candidates, you may not know what to do with it. However, the right technology does. For example, candidate matching technology analyzes data from your job requirement and matches it with candidates who are likely to be a great fit.
3. The most obvious and low-hanging AI superpower is the automation of repetitive tasks. Tasks like screening, sourcing and assessments get swift and error free through automation.
4. One of the high hanging fruits of AI in recruiting is eliminating discrimination. AI helps rule out issues such as gender and age bias. Even the most in-depth hiring practices are subject to human bias. The non-human intelligence evaluates gathered data about a prospective candidate keeping away from discriminatory sentiment. Hence, now you can assess a candidate’s ability and skills more objectively avoiding biases.
5. With all the automation and standardization, AI is making manager’s efficient. Organizations can have more people-oriented managers with employee satisfaction and growth as top priority items. Repetitive tasks being taken care of by non-human intelligence.

So the ‘demon’ is benefiting recruitment in depth and breadth. The cumulative nature of technological development will only lead to improvement of natural language search and sophistication of semantic capabilities, making machines develop a better command of word associations than our brain is even capable of. Threat or rival, AI is going to stick around.