AI has brought about a DDoS attack on recruitment. What do we do about it? Martyn Redstone talks about shifting power dynamics, assessing AI capability, and the cost of inaction.

If your technical team faced a DDoS attack — an onslaught of overwhelming traffic designed to disrupt your systems — how would you expect them to respond? Would you expect them to freeze and do nothing? Or take proactive steps to address the vulnerability and reimagine their processes to not only prevent future risks but to make their processes better?

According to Martyn Redstone, founder of PPLBots and co-founder of GenAssess, AI tools are doing to recruitment what a DDoS attack does to company websites — overloading them with applications and upending the balance of power between recruiters and candidates. 

With new AI tools enabling mass-personalised applications submitted at scale, recruitment has to do something differently if they stand any chance of managing candidate volumes while fairly assessing their true capability. And reclaiming control of the recruitment process.

In this week’s episode of the TA Disruptors podcast, Martyn joins Robert as they discuss:

Here’s what’s in store:

💡 The shift in power dynamics: AI tools like ChatGPT have given candidates the ability to mass-personalize CVs, cover letters, and applications with near-flawless precision — upending the recruiter-candidate relationship. What happens when candidates wield the same power recruiters once exclusively held? And how should recruiters respond to this “DDoS attack” on recruitment processes to regain control while maintaining an equitable process?

🤖 The Fight, Freeze, or Friend framework: How recruitment teams are reacting to the rise of AI

🎓 Rethinking what we select for: Why banning AI in recruitment is at odds with workplace realities. If organisations expect employees to use AI on the job, why exclude candidates who use it during recruitment? Martyn explains how GenAssess evaluates candidates' ability to collaborate with AI, emphasising skills like problem-solving, communication, and delegation.

🔍 Practical steps for the future of recruitment: Martyn shares actionable advice for how recruiters can:

• Automate low-value tasks like CV screening without falling into the trap of “black box” decision-making.
• Build transparency and governance into their processes to comply with AI regulations like GDPR and the EU AI Act.
• Focus on hiring candidates with AI-enablement skills, ensuring they can use generative AI tools productively and responsibly from day one.

🚀 Why recruiters must lead the AI transformation: AI is here to stay, and Martyn predicts a seismic shift in recruitment over the next 5-10 years.

The recruiters who thrive will be those who embrace AI, use it to drive productivity and refocus their efforts on high-value tasks like relationship building and strategic hiring decisions.

This episode is essential listening for anyone navigating the challenges of AI in recruitment—whether you’re overwhelmed by AI-enabled applications or looking to future-proof your hiring processes.

Listen below 👇

Podcast Transcript:

Robert: Welcome to the TA Disruptors podcast. I'm Robert Newry, CEO and co-founder of Arctic Shores, the task-based psychometric assessment company that helps organisations uncover potential and see more in people.

We live in a time of great change and TA disruptors who survive and thrive will be the ones who learn to adapt and iterate and to help them on that journey. In this podcast, I am speaking with some of the best thought leaders and pioneers who are leading that change.