By Rebecca W.E. Edmunds, AIA, MFA, President, r4 llc
A new—or not so new—conversation has emerged on AI in recruiting. An overwhelming chorus of articles tout AI’s potential to improve experience, efficiency, and decision-making. But every discussion around AI is fraught with the challenges and concerns of jumping “all in.”
I used NotebookLM by Google—yes, it’s AI—to help compile, sift through, and summarize the overwhelming number of articles on the subject. The AI generated content required extensive research, rewriting, and editing, providing an additional lesson on AI.
AI adoption in recruiting varies by industry. Paychex.com states over one-third of companies use AI in hiring, projecting adoption to double by 2030. The platform hirebee offers lists upon lists of stats related to AI and recruiting. One stat projects 80% of organizations will use AI for workforce planning, and 70% of employees expect personalized AI-driven career development. The jubilance for AI to transform talent hiring—sourcing candidates, screening resumes, and managing workflows—is intoxicating (and perhaps AI generated).
Back to architecture practice, which is experiencing excitement and concern around AI. Most uses of AI are for low-risk tasks like writing project descriptions (I recommend getting your thoughts on a project down before giving AI the reins) and image generators for concept development. A recent AIA research study noted, "78% of respondents want to learn more about the potential of AI in the industry, and the same percent noted concerns about AI.”
AI is not yet at the forefront of our profession’s discussions about recruiting and retaining talent. So, let’s look at the pros and cons proven out in larger HR trends based on the sources linked at the end of the article. But first, what is the core tech behind AI recruitment? Many of the systems and tools noted below are familiar, but perhaps not as applicable to recruiting.
Common AI Recruitment Tools
- Natural language processing (NLP) analyzes human language patterns to evaluate job descriptions and candidate materials and identify key qualifications, assess behavioral traits, and flag potential concerns in applications.
- Automated sourcing scans multiple online platforms to build a talent pipeline of job seekers and non-seekers by identifying qualified candidates across job boards, social media, and professional communities.
- Video interview analysis evaluates conversation dynamics, such as speaking ratios—the time a person spends talking compared to listening—and emotional indicators like response to criticism. The technology also generates searchable transcripts.
- Predictive analytics use historical data to forecast a candidate’s potential performance and likelihood of staying in a role via resumes, skill sets, and social media presence. This technology can help identify unqualified candidates and those likely to thrive in an organization.
- Conversational HR chatbots can enhance the candidate experience by facilitating communication by answering questions, guiding the application process, and scheduling interviews. As is common in online customer support, chatbots offer timely information and support.
With everything AI, pros and cons abound in recruiting. NotebookLM wasn’t much help sorting through the all the pros and cons found in articles, the article points it pulled weren’t always the most relevant, and the language produced was lifeless. Larger practices and recruiting firms are perhaps more prepared to take on the quirks of getting AI right than those of under 50 people.
Pros of AI in Recruiting
- Efficiency and Automation: AI can streamline manual and repetitive tasks, such as preparing job descriptions, screening applications, researching candidates, and summarizing candidate qualifications, freeing the recruiting process to focus on relationship-building.
- Personalization: AI enables job descriptions, outreach messages, and communication to be tailored to individual candidates based on their profile and interests, potentially creating a more engaging experience. Multiple sources noted AI can recommend relevant job opportunities to candidates and employees based on their skills, interests, and career goals.
- Data-Driven Decision-Making: The predictive analytics of AI help identify candidates who are most likely to succeed based on past hiring data, leading to data-driven insights from screening and interviewing results to assist decision-making, and ultimately (in theory) better hiring decisions.
- Expanded Talent Pool: AI analyzes large volumes of resumes and online profiles to identify candidates missed by traditional methods. AI-driven tools and recruitment automation help businesses identify top talent faster.
- Bias Reduction: All sources noted AI has the potential to reduce bias. Algorithms can remove names, gender, and demographic details from resumes and candidate research to promote fair evaluations based on skills and experience rather than demographic factors or the passive bias of a human-only reviewer.
Cons of AI in Recruiting[1]
- Data Dependency: All AI systems rely on how good and how much data it has. AI cannot help people with recruiting on its own. No system today can replace the person in charge of your recruiting. Poorly structured job descriptions can cause AI tools to misinterpret candidate qualifications, potentially overlooking strong candidates because of keyword mismatches or nonstandard resume formatting.
- False Negatives & Positives: AI may overlook qualified candidates who don't meet its set criteria, resulting in missed hiring opportunities. It may also prioritize candidates based on patterns instead of their actual abilities.
Potential for Bias: As with the above, AI systems can perpetuate biases if trained on biased data. If hiring data contains biases, AI would reinforce them.
- Inaccuracy, Unintended Consequences, and Lack of Transparency: The AIA survey on AI indicates many respondents have concerns around AI for inaccuracy (94%), unintended consequences (94%), privacy and security (93%), authenticity (90%), and lack of transparency (90%).
- Human Understanding: AI is good at handling data, but it cannot replace understanding and empathy when assessing how well someone fits into a culture. Only human recruiters can fill a candidate’s desire for in-depth conversations about job roles and expectations.
- Candidate Misrepresentation: As candidates use AI programs to tailor their resumes to job descriptions, many resumes may read similarly, and recruiters must verify their claims.
Impersonal Experiences: AI can track and schedule responses, but organizations must ensure AI enhances rather than replaces candidate interactions.
- Data Security: Candidates and HR teams worry about AI recruiting systems gathering and studying personal information, which raises concerns about protecting that data. Firms need to ensure their AI tools follow data privacy laws for the states and countries.
- High Initial Implementation Costs: Investing in AI recruiting tools can be costly and need integration with current HR systems. Ongoing maintenance, training, and updates increase long-term costs.
As AI advances, architecture firms must evaluate its benefits and challenges for responsible hiring. Performing a cost-benefit analysis to evaluate the advantages of AI recruitment compared to the costs of development, implementation, maintenance, potential disruptions, and security and privacy risks.
Notes: This research identified several AI tools and platforms, such as Phenom, Iris, Elevatus, Manatal, Workable, LinkedIn Recruiter, Recruitee, iSmartRecruit, Holly, and Eightfold.ai.
NotebookLM by Google effectively summarized articles but checking the sources of the summaries was cumbersome. It takes about four hours to write a 1,200+ word article. I spent over an hour extra on this one. The platform provided information I wouldn’t have found alone, but that AI generated content even more extra research and revision.
Footnotes:
- A shout out to the USEH-International Training and Educational Services, Inc. article on pros and cons of AI for recruitment (linked below under “Sources”). While their article is geared for the tourism and hospitality industries, its list of “cons” added technical detail unavailable from other sources.
Sources:
- AI Recruiting: A Guide for Employers (2025)
- AI for Recruiting: The Definitive Guide
- 100 + Stats on Artificial Intelligence in HR: Trends & Insights
- How AI recruiting is changing talent acquisition in 2025
- Navigating Talent Acquisition Trends 2025: Key Insights and Strategies
- How AI redefines recruiting excellence
- The Pros and Cons of Using AI in Recruitment
- Architects are excited about the potential of AI, but concerns abound
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A licensed architect, Rebecca Edmunds has devoted much of her career to an alternative practice model—providing leadership in creating consistent, comprehensive communications, branding and writing on design, management, leadership and technical performance for firms across the country. She also serves as a ghostwriter for architects nationally, which requires regular research into evolving design issues for health and wellness, K-20 education, urban mixed-use development and the workplace. This work informs her service on the Practice Management Knowledge Community and in various positions for AIA Virginia.
(Return to the cover of the April 2025 PM Digest)