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AI for interviews with job candidates | Balancing technology with a human touch
Written by Danielle Fargnoli-Read and Tracey Burke on 21 November 2025
AI is reshaping the way UK businesses approach hiring, offering benefits such as faster processes and fairer decision-making – at least in theory. The latest innovation? Companies using AI chatbots to interview candidates (yes, really).
While automation may be the future, it’s important not to lose sight of what makes recruitment meaningful: real human connection. And at WorkNest, our team of HR Consultancy experts can help you bridge the gap between traditional hiring tactics and using AI to support your strategy.
How AI interviews affect the candidate experience
An AI chatbot interview might be an efficient way to screen a high volume of applicants, but it’s not without trade-offs. With roughly a quarter of employers now using AI to conduct interviews and a further 19% planning to follow suit this year, it’s important to consider the risks of using AI in recruitment interviews before jumping on this trend.
In the recruitment process, first impressions are everything. For many candidates, the interview isn’t just an assessment, it’s their first real glimpse into an organisation’s culture and values. When AI chatbots are used as the initial point of contact, the process can feel impersonal, signalling to candidates that their time isn’t valued.
In one such case, comedian and writer Richard Stott turned down a job interview after learning that it would be led entirely by AI. “If interviewing in person wasn’t worth their time, then the role wasn’t worth mine”, he told the BBC, describing the lack of human interaction as “disrespectful”. His experience highlights how a lack of personal engagement may deter candidates before the process even begins.
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The drawbacks of using AI for your business interviews
AI in recruitment involves understanding the technology’s potential and utilising its best points. While the technology promises to make recruitment more objective, it isn’t foolproof. AI bias in recruitment may become a problem as algorithms trained on historical data can unintentionally perpetuate unconscious biases, disadvantaging certain groups such as neurodiverse individuals (such as when hiring autistic adults) or candidates with diverse accents.
Accessibility is another concern: not all candidates, especially those with disabilities, will find interacting with a chatbot easy or appropriate. This poses a real risk of excluding talented individuals at the very first hurdle, undermining diversity and inclusion efforts.
Assessing soft skills and cultural fit
Hiring isn’t just about ticking boxes, it’s about finding individuals who will thrive and gel with your team. AI often struggles to accurately assess soft skills, emotional intelligence, and cultural fit. This may mean you miss out on job seekers who match your top talent criteria. Would an automated system really know if someone is a strong collaborator, or if they’ll bring a fresh perspective to the team?
Mr. Stott echoed these concerns, arguing that some things are impossible for AI to gauge: “When you’re going into a company or team, personality is important and you can’t quantify that in data, so to have AI remove that seems counterintuitive.”
Automated decision-making and data privacy concerns
UK regulations, specifically the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), give individuals the right not to be subject to decisions made solely by automated means if those decisions have significant effects on them. This means that meaningful human involvement or review is legally required, especially in critical processes like recruitment.
Relying solely on AI for interviews can place your organisation at risk of non-compliance and erode trust with candidates.
Key takeaway: Focus on authenticity for your interviews (with some AI)
Building rapport and fostering a positive candidate experience should be at the heart of every recruitment process. Human interaction ensures fairness and upholds ethical and legal standards. It allows organisations to accurately assess candidates beyond automated criteria and offer a personalised and respectful journey.
Overcoming the challenges of hiring can be tricky, which is why this new technology appeals to UK businesses. It’s important to balance this out as the technology can be a gamechanger for you. In theory, AI interviews benefit businesses by:
- Enabling you to screen large volumes of candidates quickly, saving time
- Streamlining and automating the recruitment process to reduce costs
- Increasing efficiency and consistency in candidate evaluation
The key is to use AI to support – not supplant – the human touch that makes recruitment fair, engaging, and effective.
Grow your business faster with strategic recruitment
When it comes to AI, just because you can doesn’t mean you should. If your goal is to make your hiring process more efficient, there are other, less risky, ways to do this – such as enlisting specialist support.
WorkNest can provide full end-to-end recruitment support – from scheduling and attending interviews to helping you make fair, informed hiring decisions – so you can stay compliant, streamline your process, and save time, without losing the human touch.
To discuss your specific needs and explore our set-cost solutions, get in touch with our team on 0345 226 8393 or request your free consultation using the button below.
