AI in recruitment marketing: Balancing innovation and responsibility

Blog written by Vickie Collinge, Co-Chair of APSCo's Marketing Forum and Associate Director at BlueSky PR.

Let’s be honest, artificial intelligence (AI) is the buzzword in recruitment marketing at the moment. But how valuable is it in its current format, how can marketers use it in a responsible and ethical way, and what are the legal implications to be aware of? 

These questions shaped several of the interesting and often eye-opening conversations at the recent APSCo Marketing Forum in Manchester which I was delighted to be a part of. Here’s a rundown of the core takeaways from the event. 

AI legislation – it’s complex  

In her overview of the AI EU Act (which those in attendance will be aware was a bit of a tongue-twister for us all!), Eleanore Beard, Commercial Solicitor at Brabners, went through many of the more acute details. The reality is, it’s a complex issue to tackle, however the key takeaway to note is that it shouldn’t impact UK recruiters that aren’t looking to expand into, or currently operating across, the EU. For those that are but haven’t yet prepared, there’s a lot that will need to be addressed and given the highly intricate nature of something that is arguably still evolving, I would advise seeking expert advice tailored to your business.  

While there’s no legislation for UK recruiters specifically (unless operating within the EU or looking to), it is important to be mindful of the fact that conversations around the ethics and best practice of AI are increasing. There is growing pressure on brands to be more transparent around the use of artificial intelligence, for example. And given that many people are finding it easier to recognise AI-generated content, the potential impact on brands that aren’t up-front about their use of the tools is significant. 

How, when and what for? 

Perhaps the more nuanced topic to explore, though, is which tools should be used, for what and by who? Realistically, that’s a question that recruitment marketers are going to be asking themselves for some time – and no doubt the business leaders too.  

Perhaps my favourite quote of the day, though, and one which seems to sum up the general sentiment at the moment was “Don’t use ChatGPT”. Don’t get me wrong, it’s innovative and has set in motion a revolution in almost every function. However, it is also significantly flawed.

As I explained on the day and in this recent blog post, there are risks of relying on large language models such as ChatGPT for content. Aside from the potential for mistakes creeping into content, brands can also end up churning out copy that is far too similar to another company that is also looking to produce similar content. If two completely separate individuals enter similar prompts into the tool, they will get the same or at least exceptionally similar content. As all marketers know, this is less than ideal to say the least! 

The pitfalls 

All of the speakers on the day were in agreement that AI can also potentially damage the strength of brands that so many have invested significant time and money in. Aside from the fact that it’s easier to spot AI-generated content, the loss of human authenticity and the watering down of thought leadership knowledge can be highly damaging.  

There’s also the possible detrimental effect search engine optimisation (SEO) to consider. The fact that ChatGPT relies on authentic content rather than anything that it has produced itself when creating copy demonstrates that even the AI doesn’t rank its own work highly. And we’ve all seen the “AI search response” on Google these days. If a company isn’t producing new and authentic content, it won’t be pulled into the AI search tools, not to mention the fact that Google algorithms do still place an emphasis on original information.  

The opportunities 

That’s not to say that there isn’t a place for artificial intelligence in recruitment marketing. Attendees at the forum explored a number of ways that these tools have been beneficial, from image creation to idea generation. There were talks of using AI to analyse data and spot trends that no human could. But the common denominator when discussing all of these opportunities was the need to verify and cross-reference everything. Ultimately, AI can be an extension of a recruitment marketer, but not an alternative to them. And while there are a number of publicly available tools to access, the risks sometimes outweigh the benefits, particularly when it comes to the protection of information and data. But it would seem that the general direction of travel is heading towards tailored or proprietary AI tools, rather than the basic off-the-shelf ones.  

One of the speakers, Rebekah Valero Lee, Group Marketing Director of Morson Group, talked through their approach to building their own AI. Now admittedly, it’s no easy task, but the reasoning behind it is certainly sound. It allows the business to better control and protect its own content, the tone of voice of any collateral and the experience of all users. Yes, it takes investment alongside a change management program to ensure everyone is using proprietary tools like this correctly, but I’d say that brands like Morson Group are paving the way in the future of AI-enabled recruitment marketing.  

The ethics of AI use 

When we think of AI, everyone automatically thinks of large language models like ChatGPT, Gemini etc. But there is scope for so much more. In perhaps a more concerning example, Sean Moran, MD of Orara, discussed the potential for AI to eventually be running desks for recruiters.  

It’s entirely feasible – and seemingly already being worked on – for an AI tool to be used to mimic the voice of a consultant, and then run audio calls with candidates. The system can be set up so that one person is monitoring ten conversations being run by artificial intelligence, with a red-light system flagging which ones require closer human intervention. If a conversation moves to red, the consultant can see the full transcript of the conversation so far and, when there’s a break in the conversation, seamlessly jump in and replace the AI on the call.  

Of course, that brings up the entire question of ethics in AI. With a tool as sophisticated as this, should candidates be made aware of when they are speaking to a person or an AI? While this type of use of artificial intelligence may be some way off yet, the same ethical questions should ring true for any AI content. The point mentioned earlier around the pressure for brands to be transparent about when and where they are using artificial intelligence is something that isn’t going to go away.

From a PR perspective, there are very few (if any) publications and journalists that don’t stipulate that they will not accept any editorial content that has been generated by AI, at least not without an acknowledgement or disclaimer that some of the copy has been influenced by artificial intelligence. People are still people and while we all want to capitalise on the benefits that AI can offer in our day-to-day lives, very few want to lose sight of the fact that we are human. In a sector that is so personable and people-orientated, artificial intelligence cannot rule. But it can assist.