AI in hiring: 5 ways talent leaders can overcome fear and embrace change

Indeed's head of Responsible Technology addresses the fear, uncertainty and doubt surrounding integrating AI tools and offers practical advice for overcoming them to hire better.

Key takeaways 

• Rushing AI adoption can lead to costly errors, while thoughtful, intentional planning will help avoid mistakes and ensure long-term efficiency and effectiveness.
• Engage HR and TA teams to identify their biggest pain points and choose AI tools that solve real problems, ensuring successful adoption and team buy-in.
• To mitigate potential harm, proactively anticipate and manage biases and errors that AI could reinforce or amplify through pre-launch testing, careful reviews and adherence to ethical standards.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping talent acquisition, sparking both excitement and anxiety among industry leaders. Concerns about bias, job displacement and the rapid pace of technological change often lead to hesitation. Yet, as companies face pressure to adopt AI quickly or risk falling behind, the challenge becomes clear: how can HR and TA leaders implement AI responsibly without losing momentum? 

Trey Causey, Senior Director of Responsible Technology at Indeed, has spent years navigating this balancing act. His team advises on responsible AI practices, develops tools to assess AI models for bias and conducts statistical analyses to understand AI’s impact on hiring. 

“At Indeed, we’re excited about the transformative potential of AI but equally committed to implementing it responsibly,” Causey says. “While it might seem contradictory to move quickly and cautiously at the same time, we believe it’s entirely possible ⁠–⁠ and essential.”

Even without a dedicated team like Causey's, with the right approach, talent leaders can adopt AI both quickly and responsibly. Here are five strategies he shared to help overcome AI anxiety and confidently embrace new talent acquisition technology.

Five ways to help overcome AI anxiety in hiring

1. Start slow to go fast

While it may feel like a race to adopt the latest AI technology, Causey advises against rushing. Drawing on the Navy SEALs motto ‘Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast’, he emphasises intentionality over speed.

Rushing to implement tools without proper planning can lead to missteps, such as adopting technology that doesn’t address actual team needs or creates new inefficiencies. Instead, take the time to understand where AI can provide the most value to avoid costly errors later.

“Think about the total cost of ownership,” Causey says, “like buying a cheap car that ends up costing more in repairs. Investing in the right tools up front can prevent headaches down the road.”

Pro tip:

• Plan carefully to ensure AI strengthens ⁠–⁠ rather than complicates ⁠–⁠ your hiring processes  

2. Listen to your people

Engage employees to identify the real challenges they face in their jobs, and then find AI tools to solve them. “You have HR and TA experts in your company ⁠–⁠ listen to them,” Causey advises. “What are their pain points? What is the hardest thing about their job? What do they hate doing? What do they wish they could spend more time doing?” 

To put this into practice:

• Conduct team interviews or surveys to uncover specific tasks HR and TA practitioners find frustrating or time-consuming.
• Focus on introducing AI tools that address these pain points, such as automating repetitive administrative tasks.
• Regularly gather feedback after implementing AI solutions to assess their effectiveness and make adjustments.

Solving meaningful problems for your team will foster enthusiasm for the technology, energise employees and ensure AI adoption aligns with your organisation’s goals.

3. Address bias and risk head-on  

AI's potential for bias and misinformation is a major concern. The risks are real: faulty algorithms can perpetuate discrimination, generate inaccurate outputs or cause PR disasters. The key is to anticipate risks and proactively implement robust safeguards.

Risk-mitigation strategies:

• Test before launching: Use techniques like red teaming to simulate attacks and uncover flaws.
• Review AI outputs: Employ human reviewers to evaluate AI-generated outputs, or consider using another AI model to evaluate the outputs of the original AI model.
• Follow responsible AI principles: Align tools with guidelines that prioritise fairness, transparency and accountability.

“Responsible AI use doesn’t mean avoiding AI ⁠–⁠ it’s about balancing risks and opportunities,” Causey stresses. “The real danger lies in either ignoring AI or adopting it recklessly ⁠–⁠ both diminish your ability to do your job effectively.”

4. Realise AI’s strengths and limits  

AI can streamline repetitive tasks but may struggle with nuances requiring empathy or cultural understanding. For example, generative AI can help you write job descriptions, but tasks like candidate evaluation or team fit benefit from human oversight.

“Knowing what AI excels at and what it doesn’t will really help you,” Causey says. He suggests developing a mental model for how AI tools work to determine what tasks they can handle that you’d rather not spend time on, freeing you up to focus on the more human aspects of your job.

AI use cases:  

• An eager assistant: fast but prone to errors; always review its work
• A blank-page eliminator: perfect for initial drafts or idea generation
• A feedback partner: great for refining pitches or preparing presentations  

To use this new technology effectively, focus on how AI can complement human decision-making rather than replace it. 

5. Foster a culture of learning  

AI anxiety often stems from a lack of exposure and understanding. To combat this, create opportunities for employees to experiment with AI tools in a safe, supportive environment and model AI use in your everyday work life.  If employees see company leadership modelling and encouraging AI use, they’re more likely to explore it themselves. 

“As leaders, your most strategic investment is promoting a culture of learning,” Causey says. “It will never go out of style, and it’s essential for retention and growth.” 

Ways to encourage AI learning and adoption:  

• Provide training sessions to teach employees how to use AI tools effectively.
• Pilot low-risk applications, allowing teams to explore AI's potential without fear of failure.
• Be clear about ideal AI uses so people feel more confident to leverage it in their work.

Expecting employees to figure out AI on their own ⁠– ⁠including on their own time ⁠–⁠ is ineffective and discouraging. Make learning more easily accessible by embedding it into development plans and allocating resources and time for training. 

Choose confidence over fear 

AI in hiring doesn’t have to be intimidating. With a thoughtful, measured approach, you can overcome AI anxiety to reduce bias, increase efficiency and create an even more human-centred hiring process. 

“Hiring is a human business,” Causey says. “AI is here to support ⁠–⁠ not replace ⁠–⁠ that mission.”

Disclaimer: The questions and insights reflected in this article concern the use of AI in hiring in general and are not specific to Indeed or its products and services. In addition, all information featured on Lead with Indeed is for general informational purposes only and does not (nor is it intended to) constitute legal advice.