How AI is Adding Value in the TA World, Giving Time to People for Building Deeper Human Connections | Deepanshu Anand | Regional Head- TA Ops – Americas & EMEA | Ericsson

I’ve been in the talent acquisition (TA) game for over 20 years now, building global teams from the ground up and chasing that mysterious excellence in hiring the right people for the right roles. Back in the early 2000s, recruiting meant endless phone calls, sifting through stacks of resumes by hand, and relying on gut feelings during interviews. It was exhausting, but it built real bonds—those coffee chats that turned strangers into colleagues, the stories shared over lunch that revealed a candidate’s true fit. Fast forward to today, and AI has stormed in like a game-changer. But here’s the thing: it’s not here to steal our jobs or turn hiring into a cold algorithm. No, AI is handing us back our most precious resource—time—so we can focus on what we do best: forging those deeper human connections that make teams thrive. **In the TA arena, AI isn’t crashing the party—it’s spiking the punch.**

As a TA leader who’s scaled operations across continents, I’ve seen the fear firsthand. Recruiters whispering in hallways about “AI replacing us,” headlines screaming about automated hiring doomsdays. But let me tell you, from the trenches, that’s not the story. AI isn’t the villain; it’s the sidekick. **Think Robin to our Batman—minus the tights and trust issues.** In 2025, it’s quietly revolutionizing TA by handling the sound work, spotting patterns we might miss, and letting us humans shine in the moments that matter. And the best part? It’s making hiring fairer, faster, and more human. Let’s dive into how this is playing out in the real world, with stories fresh from the news and my own playbook.

Start with sourcing and screening—the endless scroll through LinkedIn profiles and job boards that used to eat up 70% of a recruiter’s day. AI steps in here like a tireless assistant, scanning vast talent pools with precision we could only dream of. Tools like Phenom’s AI-driven search or Eightfold’s matching algorithms don’t just keyword-match; they understand skills, predict fit, and even flag diverse candidates to reduce unconscious bias. Take Mastercard, for instance. In September 2025, they rolled out AI to handle initial candidate interactions, automating outreach and basic quals. The result? Their TA team shaved hours off admin tasks, boosting efficiency by 30% while

zeroing in on underrepresented talent. I remember a similar shift at one of my past gigs—a global fintech firm. We integrated an AI sourcer that pulled in 40% more passive candidates from niche networks, including engineers from emerging markets. No more blind spots; just a richer pool to choose from. **AI doesn’t just fish for talent—it casts a net wide enough to catch unicorns.**

But it’s not just about volume; it’s about quality. AI excels at the data crunching we humans aren’t wired for. A recent Deloitte report highlighted how AI-augmented screening prioritizes candidates based on holistic insights, like cultural add and growth potential, cutting time-to-hire by up to 25%. Picture this real-world win: In early 2025, a mid-sized healthcare recruiter shared on LinkedIn how their AI tool flagged a nurse with non-traditional experience—a former paramedic turned community organizer. Traditional screening? She’d have been overlooked. AI saw the leadership thread and fast-tracked her, leading to a hire that’s now mentoring the whole team. That’s the magic: AI handles the numbers, we handle the nuance. **Where spreadsheets stutter, stories soar.**

Now, let’s talk interviews—the heart of TA, where connections spark or fizzle. AI isn’t gatecrashing here; it’s prepping the stage. Conversational AI chatbots schedule calls, send personalized prep tips, and even run low-stakes initial screens, all while mimicking a friendly human touch. A SHRM case study from April 2025 showcased two companies using this tech: One saw a 14% jump in hires, the other slashed candidate response times by 98%. Why? Because candidates felt heard from the get-go, not herded through a robot mill.

Korn Ferry’s 2025 trends report backs this up: AI elevates the candidate journey, turning one-way interrogations into two-way dialogues. In one standout example, a Fortune 500 firm used AI to simulate interviews, helping shy candidates practice. Response rates soared 20%, and the humans? They spent less time on rote Q&A and more on storytelling—uncovering passions that resumes hide. **AI sets the table; we serve the feast of fit.**

So, with all this automation, what’s freed up? Time. Glorious, uninterrupted time for the stuff AI can’t touch: building trust, sensing vibes, and creating those “aha” moments. In my 20 years, I’ve closed deals over virtual coffees, bonded over shared hometowns, and spotted potential in a candidate’s quiet determination. AI gives us bandwidth for that. A LinkedIn post from a TA pro in October 2025 nailed it: “AI isn’t replacing recruiters; it’s giving us back our empathy superpower.” At Mastercard again, TA folks
now dedicate 40% more hours to relationship-building—mentoring new hires, networking at industry events, even personal check-ins post-offer. The payoff? Retention up 15%, because people join companies, but stay for connections. **Hire for skills, retain for souls—AI knows the difference.**

And here’s the gentle nudge for anyone still side-eyeing AI: Don’t fear it. Learn it. Treat it like that sharp intern who handles spreadsheets so you can strategize. A University of Zurich study shared on LinkedIn in October 2025 found AI-led interviews boosted job offers by 12% and retention by 17%—not by replacing humans, but by augmenting them. The recruiters who thrived? The ones who upskilled—prompting AI for better insights, questioning its outputs, blending tech with intuition. Real success isn’t in full automation; that’s a recipe for bland, biased hires. It’s in augmentation: AI as your co-pilot, amplifying what makes us irreplaceable—empathy, creativity, that spark of understanding. **Fear the idle mind, not the intelligent machine—it’s here to fly, not to fry your career.**

Think of it this way: In TA, we’re not just filling seats; we’re weaving the human fabric of organizations. AI mends the loose threads, but we craft the embroidery. A Forbes piece from March 2025 warned of AI’s “takeover,” but the smart take was clear: The future belongs to hybrid teams. I’ve mentored dozens of recruiters through this shift, and the happiest? Those who experiment—tweaking AI tools like LinkedIn’s Hiring Assistant to personalize outreach, then jumping in for the soul-searching convos.

As we wrap up 2025, let’s lean into this. TA leaders, train your teams on AI basics—free courses abound on Coursera. Recruiters, play with tools like ChatGPT for job descriptions or Eightfold for sourcing. The message is simple: AI frees us to be more human, not less. In a world racing toward efficiency, the edge goes to those who pause for connection. After two decades in this field, I can say with certainty: That’s where the real magic—and the best hires—happen. **Because in TA, the best algorithm is still a heartbeat.**