Insights & perspectives on modern recruitment

How AI is deployed matters. Not all AI implementations are created equal, and in the recruitment industry, the "formation" of AI deployment has led to a largely negative impact on the industry so far.

The AI solutions deployed to date have radically increased noise in the market, leading to worse hiring outcomes. You can see this through the rise in spam job applications and recruiter outreach messages. Inboxes are flooded, applicant pools are bloated with irrelevant CVs, and genuine candidates are getting lost in the noise.

So where has it gone wrong? It comes down to how AI is positioned in the interaction between companies and candidates.

The Three Formations of AI Deployment

There are three core formations for deploying AI in recruitment, and understanding the difference is critical.

(A) AI Between Company and Consumer

This formation places AI directly between a company and a candidate. Think of a chatbot on a website that a customer interacts with, or in recruiting, an AI-powered interview process that a candidate engages with. The human connection is replaced by a machine interaction. While this can work for simple queries, it strips away the nuance and empathy that recruitment demands.

(B) Company AI to Consumer AI

This is where things get particularly noisy. Formation B describes a scenario where both sides are using AI — candidates using AI tools to mass apply for jobs while companies deploy AI-powered ATS products to try to filter the huge volume of spam applications. It's an arms race. AI versus AI, with humans caught in the middle and outcomes getting worse for everyone.

(C) AI Supporting Human to Human

With recruitment being an inherently human-centred process, the best formation for AI solutions is clearly C. In this formation, AI sits behind the scenes on both sides, supporting the humans rather than replacing them. AI is used to streamline admin, improve communication clarity, and improve candidate-role matching accuracy.

It's the opposite of mass volume spamming. Instead of generating more noise, Formation C reduces it. Instead of replacing human judgement, it enhances it.

Why Formation C Is the Only Way Forward

While formations A and B do have their use cases in recruitment, they are the exception, not the rule. Formation C is the only way to solve the noise problem and deliver the best results for all involved — recruiters, hiring managers, and candidates alike.

When AI handles the administrative burden — scheduling, data entry, initial matching — recruiters are free to do what they do best: build relationships, assess cultural fit, and guide candidates through what is often a life-changing decision. The technology amplifies human capability rather than substituting it.

How Floats Facilitates Formation C

This is exactly the approach Floats was built around. Every feature in the Floats platform is designed to sit behind the recruiter, not in front of the candidate. Our AI tools handle the heavy lifting — generating spec CVs, building digital candidate profiles, matching candidates to roles, and streamlining communication workflows — so that recruiters can focus entirely on the human-to-human connection.

Floats doesn't put a chatbot between a recruiter and a candidate. It doesn't automate outreach into oblivion. Instead, it gives recruiters superpowers: faster admin, sharper insights, and more time for the conversations that actually matter. That's Formation C in practice, and it's the only formation that will truly move recruitment forward.