The Human Exception

Back to the (Recruitment) Future 

AI is revolutionising our world. We’re not sure yet if we’re heading towards a dystopia.

Back in the 80s, we dreamed of the 21st century as a time when technology would serve humanity and make the world a better place. The threat back then was globalisation. In France, we spoke about the French exception - fearing a global modern culture where everyone would eat, drink, read, watch, and consume the same things.

It didn’t turn out that way. The fear was exaggerated, although many businesses did close and suffer. It was a crisis, yes - but one that opened access to wider markets, more competition, and more choice. Adaptability became the key to survival.

Recruiters: Judgement Day 

Now recruitment is being hit by AI. 

• Some of us have already experienced screening calls or interviews with AI recruiters. In theory, they’re designed to reduce bias. In practice, it’s more complicated: algorithms may remove some human subjectivity, but they also inherit the blind spots of the data they’re trained on. So while bias might look different, it doesn’t disappear. What’s certain is that these tools strip away the human connection that builds rapport and helps employers and candidates gauge compatibility from the very first moment. The risk is turning recruitment back into a one-way street - unbalanced and impersonal. I haven’t experienced such an interview myself (though I’d be curious to try). Still, rejection already stings - and from a cold machine, it cuts deeper.

• Others are using AI-powered tools for sourcing, screening, and outreach. 

• Candidates are even getting their CVs written for them. 

AI screens AI - an absurdity.

Soon, recruiters won’t have to build call lists or book appointments. So where will their focus go? What will they do with 40 hours a week?

When past tools were built for mass outreach - blasting the same message to hundreds at once - efficiency came at the cost of quality. AI might, in fact, change that: giving recruiters back the time to put humanity into the process. To build trust with candidates and clients. To read between the lines. To persuade, influence, and guide people through one of the biggest decisions of their lives.

AI can’t replace empathy, nuance, or judgement. Not yet.

Recruiters will become specialists. Tackling the hard-to-fill jobs, the needle-in-a-haystack searches that algorithms can’t quite handle. Redesigning candidate and client experiences. Bringing back true personalisation.

Blade Runner or Human Runner? 

At the cost of many jobs, probably. AI is redesigning modern recruitment. For the better? We don’t know yet.

We should let technology take over administration, repetition, and logistics. But more and more, we’re also handing over parts of what makes recruitment human.

The intention is good - more efficiency, less bias, fewer blind spots. But the risk is real: in trying to remove discrimination, we may also remove connection.