Artificial intelligence is moving quickly into hiring, and most companies adopting it are doing so faster than they are communicating about it. For employers that have invested in building a strong workplace culture — including through employee-valued sustainability commitments and values-driven practices — how AI shows up in the hiring process is becoming part of how candidates evaluate the employer before they ever join the organization.
Six in ten employed Americans are concerned AI could replace their job or change their role.
The backdrop matters. Among employed Americans, 59% are concerned that AI could replace their job or significantly change their role, with 24% very concerned. That anxiety is already present when candidates begin a job search. They are not approaching AI in hiring neutrally — they are bringing existing skepticism about what AI means for their careers, and how a company uses it in the hiring process becomes a signal about how that company views and treats its people.
Most job seekers have directly experienced or encountered uncertainty about AI's role in the hiring process.
Among those currently or recently job searching, encounters with AI in the hiring process are already frequent. 39% believe their resume or application was screened or rejected by AI without human review, and 29% have been asked to complete AI-assessed tests or AI-led interviews. Beyond direct experience, the picture is one of widespread uncertainty — 34% aren't sure whether humans or AI are reviewing their applications at all, while 30% say they haven't noticed AI playing a role in their job search.
The fix is not about removing AI from hiring and but about being explicit — communicating clearly where AI is used , where human judgment remains in the loop, and what candidates can expect at each stage. Candidates who understand how a process works are better positioned to engage with it confidently, and employers who communicate that clearly are protecting the brand they have worked to build.
What's the Takeaway?
Audit where AI touches your hiring process and communicate it clearly to candidates — which stages use AI, where human review happens, and how final decisions are made. For employers whose brand is built on transparency and values, silence on this is not neutral. Getting ahead of that with honest, specific communication is both a brand protection move and the right thing to do.