AI in Recruiting: What Is Changing and What Can HR Do for Better Outcomes?
Maja Sušnik, Marketing Specialist
That was the central question behind our latest HR Breakfast in Ljubljana, where HR professionals joined Gecko HRM and PsyBit for a live panel on AI in recruiting.
Moderated by Elena Kučej from Gecko HRM, the panel featured Eva Esih and Urh Kovačič from PsyBit, alongside Nel Hrepevnik from Gecko HRM. The discussion was practical, lively and grounded in the reality HR teams are dealing with every day.
And judging by the energy in the room, the topic clearly struck a chord.
How do HR teams describe recruiting today?
At the start of the discussion, the audience captured the mood in a live Menti survey, aiming to describe how they feel about recruiting these days. The most common answers included: busy, battle, adventure, mission impossible, chaos and even pain.
That says a lot.
Recruiting today does not feel linear or predictable. It feels fast-moving, demanding and, at times, messy. The panel described it in similar terms. Urh called it “an opportunity”, Eva called it “a roller coaster”, and Nel summed it up as “dynamic”.
Why do old recruiting approaches no longer work?
Because the market has changed, candidate behaviour has changed, and expectations have changed with it.
The panel explored how traditional hiring methods often rely too heavily on active job seekers, long application steps and slow communication. Meanwhile, many of the most relevant candidates are passive, selective and far less willing to invest time upfront unless the opportunity immediately feels worth it.
That was one of the clearest messages from the morning. If the process is too slow, too generic or too demanding too early, candidates simply move on.
What is actually available to HR teams in 2026?
Not magic. Not full automation. And not a world where AI replaces recruiters.
The most useful takeaway from the panel was much more practical than that. AI is at its best when it helps with the parts of recruiting that slow teams down, such as screening, preparation, structure and follow-up.
As Nel said during the discussion, the goal is to find “a moderate, but meaningful path”.
In other words, use AI to reduce admin and improve responsiveness, while keeping people firmly in charge of judgement, decisions and relationships.
What recruiting pains matter most right now?
The discussion kept returning to a few clear challenges HR teams are facing today:
- attracting relevant candidates, not just more candidates
- reaching passive talent, not only active job seekers
- moving faster without lowering quality
- giving candidates timely feedback
- keeping the process human, even when AI becomes part of it
These are exactly the points where more traditional approaches are starting to lose effectiveness and where better tools, sharper processes and clearer communication can make a real difference.
What should HR leaders take from this?
The future of recruiting is not about removing the human element. It is about protecting it.
If AI can take care of repetitive tasks, recruiters get more time for what actually matters: better conversations, better decisions and a better candidate experience.
That was the real thread running through the whole session.
Want the full discussion?
This recap only captures part of the conversation.
If you missed the live event, or want to hear the full panel unpack why old recruiting approaches are no longer enough and what HR teams can actually do in 2026, watch the on-demand session here:
You might also like
View all posts
