AI in hiring

Is it legal to use AI in hiring in the UK?

Using AI in hiring is legal in the UK, but it must comply with data protection and equality law. UK data protection law restricts significant decisions made solely by automated means, so a human should make the final hiring decision, and candidates should be told how their information is being used.

The ICO publishes guidance on AI and recruitment that's worth reading before adopting any tool.

Should AI make hiring decisions?

No. AI can support hiring by organising information, applying consistent criteria, and highlighting evidence, but final hiring decisions should be made by a person. Human decision-making is important both legally and practically, because the employer remains responsible for every hire.

The most useful role for AI in hiring is consistency — applying the same criteria to every candidate — not judgement.

Can AI help reduce bias in recruitment?

AI can help reduce bias when it applies the same fixed, job-relevant criteria to every candidate. It can also increase bias if it learns from historical hiring data that already contained bias. The safest approach is AI that applies criteria defined by people, rather than AI that invents its own.

Always ask any hiring tool what its criteria are based on and who decided them.

How should candidate data be handled when hiring?

Candidate data should be collected only for the purpose of assessing suitability for the role, stored securely, shared only with people involved in the decision, and deleted or anonymised after a defined period. Candidates must be told how their data is used and have the right to request access or deletion.

A six-month retention period after an application is a common approach, allowing time for any questions or challenges.

Can AI read and score CVs?

AI can read CVs and assess them against specific criteria, such as required experience or skills, much faster than a person. It works best as a first-stage filter against clear criteria, with a person reviewing the results and making the decision, rather than as an automatic accept-or-reject system.

Any AI screening should be checked by a person before a candidate is rejected.