Artificial intelligence has quietly but decisively entered the hiring room. From screening resumes and scheduling interviews to predicting role fit and reducing hiring timelines, AI is already reshaping how organisations find talent. What was once a recruiter’s instinct-led process is now increasingly data-informed, faster and more structured.
Yet as AI becomes more capable, a critical question confronts HR leaders: Should AI be allowed to make the final hiring decision—without human intervention?
For Indian HR leaders, the answer is not a simple yes or no. It lies in nuance—between efficiency and empathy, speed and sensibility, data and discernment. Their views reflect a shared conviction: AI is powerful, but people decisions demand human accountability.
Preemita Singh, president & CHRO, Havells India
At Havells, AI is an enabler. We’ve adopted advanced tools to bring efficiency and sharper insights into our hiring process. AI helps us analyse patterns and provides objective information that allows us to probe better and discover strengths in candidates.
That said, final decisions are always based on human interactions. Culture fit is extremely important to us. AI can help reduce time to hire, especially when we’re hiring in large numbers. It helps shorten cycle times—whether scheduling interviews or forecasting job-role matches.
However, when it comes to what we truly look for, those aspects emerge through interaction. We look for openness, humility and an aspirational mindset. As the saying goes, ‘You hire for attitude; skills can be trained.’ The keenness to learn and the motivation to make a difference are things you sense over repeated conversations.
Managers play a vital role at Havells—not just in hiring but in nurturing people and sustaining motivation. While AI supports the process, people decisions remain human-led.
Takeaway: AI accelerates hiring and surfaces insights, but culture fit and attitude require human judgment that emerges through authentic conversation
Subhashish Chakrabarty, CPO, CaratLane
Every technological change creates an opportunity to rethink how we work.
Before the printing press, people wrote everything by hand. When the press arrived, writing didn’t stop—production, scale and the nature of jobs changed. The same will happen with AI.
It will make us more productive. It will create agents, assistants and applications that otherwise wouldn’t exist. Today, I may depend on someone else for a task. With AI, I can design my own app to help me.
In interviewing, AI agents will help me take sharper, faster decisions. One thing is certain—AI will bring speed. People who embrace it will enjoy working with it. This AI-driven speed will soon become the new normal in organisations.
AI will support decision-making. It will make us faster and more informed. But the decision is still taken by people—just with better tools.
Takeaway: AI is not replacing hiring decisions—it’s creating new capabilities that make human decision-makers faster, sharper and more productive
Sushil Baveja, CHRO, Jindal Stainless
AI should augment human decision-making—not replace it.
Hiring decisions directly impact people’s lives, careers and aspirations. Because of that, they cannot be treated as purely transactional or automated outcomes. While AI can improve efficiency, consistency and data-based insights in recruitment, it must be applied with caution and responsibility.
AI systems need thorough testing before deployment at scale. They must be transparent, explainable and aligned with the expectations of all stakeholders—candidates, employees, leadership and society at large. If we cannot explain why a decision was made, we should question whether that decision ought to be made by a machine alone.
Human oversight is not optional; it’s essential. It ensures accountability. When a hiring decision is questioned, it cannot be attributed to an algorithm. AI can analyse data, identify patterns and reduce manual effort. But values, ethics, intent and long-term cultural fit require human judgment.
For AI to be trusted in hiring, it must operate within a clear governance framework, with humans firmly in the loop. The role of HR is not to surrender decision-making to technology, but to use technology responsibly to make better decisions.
Takeaway: AI can inform hiring, but accountability, ethics and cultural fit demand human oversight—technology must serve judgment, not replace it