AI Interviews in Recruitment: Helpful Efficiency or a Step Too Far?

Artificial intelligence and automation are rapidly reshaping the recruitment process. From CV screening and job matching to automated outreach and interview scheduling, AI is now embedded in many hiring workflows.

But just because something can be automated doesn’t always mean it should be.

Recently, I was asked an interesting question by a hiring leader:

“What are your thoughts on AI interviews as the first stage of the hiring process?”

Like most things in recruitment, my answer was simple:

It depends on the use case.

Where AI Interviews Do Make Sense

For high-volume hiring, AI screening interviews can be genuinely useful.

Roles such as customer support, operations, retail, BPO, or other “bums on seats” positions often attract hundreds or even thousands of applicants. In these scenarios:

• Manual screening is slow and resource-heavy

• Recruiters are forced to focus on speed over depth

• Candidate experience often suffers anyway due to scale

Using AI interviews at this stage can:

• Filter applications more efficiently

• Standardise early-stage screening

• Reduce recruiter admin time

• Allow human recruiters to focus on shortlisted candidates

In short, AI can help teams manage volume without burning out recruiters.

Used correctly, it’s a practical tool.

Where AI Interviews Fall Short

The problem arises when AI interviews are applied to specialist or senior-level hiring.

For roles such as:

• Senior engineers

• Product leaders

• Enterprise sales professionals

• Directors, Heads, or C-level hires

Asking a carefully headhunted candidate to complete an AI chatbot interview as a first step often goes down like a lead balloon.

Why?

Because it sends the wrong signal.

The Risk of Alienating Strong Candidates

Senior and specialist candidates are not applying at scale.
They are being approached, courted, and evaluated carefully.

When their first interaction with your company is an automated interview, it can feel:

• Impersonal

• Transactional

• Disengaging

• At odds with the seniority of the role

Many will quietly opt out.

Not because they’re anti-AI — but because it suggests a lack of thought, care, or respect for their time.

In competitive talent markets, especially in Thailand and across Southeast Asia, first impressions matter.

Recruitment Is Still a Relationship Business

At senior levels, recruitment is not just about skills matching.

That first conversation is a huge opportunity:

• To build trust

• To understand motivations

• To explore long-term career goals

• To establish a relationship — even if this role isn’t the right one

These are things AI simply cannot do well.

Automation should support good hiring, not replace the human connection where it matters most.

The Balanced Approach

AI in recruitment isn’t the enemy.

But it needs to be used deliberately, not blindly.

A sensible approach looks like this:

• ✅ Use AI for high-volume, early-stage filtering

• ✅ Automate admin-heavy processes

• ❌ Avoid AI-led interviews for senior or niche hires

• ❌ Don’t replace relationship-building with chatbots

The most effective hiring teams combine technology with human judgement, not one at the expense of the other.

Final Thoughts

AI interviews can be a powerful tool — in the right context.

But when used without considering role seniority, candidate expectations, and employer branding, they can quietly undermine your hiring efforts.

In a market where good candidates still have choices, how you engage them matters just as much as how quickly you hire.

Want a second opinion on your interview process?

At True Blue Recruitment, we work closely with hiring managers across Thailand and Southeast Asia to design interview processes that balance speed, candidate experience, and quality of hire.

If you’re reviewing how AI fits into your hiring strategy, feel free to reach out.