Recruiters’ Attitudes Toward the Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Recruitment Process

Recruitment is among the HRM processes in which information and communication technologies and artificial intelligence can be applied extensively and fruitfully. It’s acceptance is studied but mostly from candidates perspective and some studies have showed that the acceptance of artificial intelligence applications is not universal among recruiters. The aim of this study was to examine whether recruiters’ attitudes toward the use of AI in the recruitment process vary depending on the stage of the process and the form of AI intervention. Based on data collected through an online questionnaire from 120 Polish recruiters, the findings indicate that acceptance of AI is higher in the earlier stages of the recruitment process than in the later stages. The results further show, in line with self-determination theory, that AI is more readily accepted when it serves an advisory rather than a decision-making function, regardless of the phase of the selection process. It was also found that the factor that increases acceptance for AI applications is the willingness to sacrifice decision-making autonomy, while employment in a large (above 500 employees) company significantly affects this acceptance only in the earlier stages. Practical recommendations were formulated and directions for further research were proposed.