IBM CEO says replacing HR staff with AI led to more hiring

People matters ^ | 7th May 2025 | Samriddhi Srivastava

[Cronos]

In my experience as both a job seeker and as a hiring manager, HR recruiters are weak at best or an active hindrance mostly as they filter out the good can and give you candidates who have buzzwords but no experience

[9YearLurker]

But you think AI is better?

[Magnum44]

[BBQToadRibs2]

I work at a small startup Tech company, about 50 people. We have no HR, we vendored it out (TriNet) and they cover the basics of payroll, insurance, Benes.

The team than needs staff knows exactly what they’re looking for and do the interviewing and hiring themselves. Time commitment is marginal.

No HR rocks.

[FatherofFive]

I was presenting at a HR Conference years ago. I was demonstrating how using Excel with VBA, a performance management, salary increase and bonus plan for thousands of employees could be accomplished - without error!- by a single individual. The most frequent response was, “But that’s my job!”

[HombreSecreto]

Whenever a HR person gets fired, an angel gets their wings.

[Sirius Lee]

[AbolishCSEU]

Amen. HR depts are populated mostly by leftist “soccer mom” women who can’t do anything else.

[Larry Lucido]

“Good morning. I’d like to introduce you to our new vice president in charge of acquisitions. She was selected by our AI resources department.”

“My name is Koko. I’m from Haiti.”

[Mlheureux]

AI deciding hire decisions? In the 50/60’s, you walked in, filled out a one page firm, immediately interviewed and hired on the spot. If AI is like my 2 hour telephone wait with a problem just recently, that back then took 5 minutes with a real person, then this AI will be a 1984 scenario.

[Zathras]

I worked for IBM for 10 years and really liked it...until this yahoo became CEO.

[LibertyFound]

AI is probably a lot less racist than normal HR DEI hires.

[9YearLurker]

You don’t sound very familiar with AI.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

AI is a tool like any other technology change that has impacted businesses in the past. In the 1970s, businesses had entire accounting departments. In the 1980s, those departments were decimated by advances in computer technologies including the spreadsheet. Now the revolution is coming for HR. In the future, it will come for other departments. If you have a dynamic labor market and business environment, new jobs will be created and the efficiency will drive wage increases.

[Ciexyz]

When you need to apply for benefits from your company or agency, you’ll be glad to talk to a real live knowledgeable person who can give you a prompt, correct answer.

[cgbg]

Do you remember the early days of computers?

They were huge and clunky.

The software was hard to use and buggy and as a result the computer made lots of mistakes.

That is where AI is today.

It would be a major error to think that is what the AI future looks like.

[bobcat62]

more hiring... in India

[Dr. Sivana]

But you think AI is better?

I had an AI interview this week on the phone. It understood me better than the Hindi-is-my-first-language Indian guy.

How the interview gets processed is another matter.

[9YearLurker]

You have my sympathy, though you don’t sound as if you think you need it.

[Dr. Sivana]

The hiring process is completely broken. AI initial interviews won't make it any worse. Last time I changed jobs it took 150 interviews, and the job I got wasn't the one I was best qualified for. The whole process is demand driven, and a lot of the people hiring are not that serious, want to low ball, or have a picture in their head that the job description doesn't suggest.

For instance, I was asked to conduct an interview for my company, that wanted to hire someone to run a major brand of backup software. The job description weighted everything equally (side duties with primary duties), and NEVER MENTIONED THE NAME OF THE SOFTWARE TO BE SUPPORTED. So, I got a number of bad resumes through no fault of the applicant. I learned a lot from being on the other side of the call.