Use of Robots and Artificial Intelligence in Job Interviews: Efficiency, Security, and the New Role of HR

Can AI Replace the Recruiter’s Work?

In our model, yes. But it is important to clearly define what that means.

Our strategy was not to use Artificial Intelligence merely as a tool to support recruiters. We redesigned the process so that AI fully assumes the operational recruitment and screening stages that previously depended on recruiter involvement.

From the moment a position is opened, the solution is calibrated according to the role’s scope, required competencies, and expected profile. AI can support the creation of the job description, screen candidates, and conduct interviews via text or voice.

Afterward, all of this information is consolidated into a structured report.

The key differentiator is that this report does not necessarily return to a recruiter for additional screening. Instead, it goes directly to the business area requesting the position, which receives the candidates who best match the defined profile.

From that point forward, the manager conducts the validation interview and makes the decision.

As a result, the recruiter is no longer the intermediary between the candidate and the hiring area.

Why Transfer This Decision Directly to the Hiring Area?

Because we understand that the area responsible for hiring is the one that truly understands the demand.

The manager understands the work to be performed, the challenges associated with the position, the team dynamics, the business context, and the culture that must be preserved.

AI performs the initial large-scale analysis and organizes the information. The manager receives actionable insights to make a more informed decision.

The goal is not merely to deliver a list of résumés. The proposal is to provide a qualified and contextualized shortlist, accompanied by an integrated analysis of the résumé, interview, and criteria defined for that specific position.

What Becomes HR’s Role in This New Model?

This is one of the most important transformations resulting from the project.

HR ceases to devote most of its time to operational activities and begins to play a much more strategic role in people management and development.

When repetitive tasks such as initial résumé reviews, preliminary interviews, and candidate screening are removed from the process, we are not simply reducing workload. We are redirecting HR’s capacity toward activities that generate greater value for the firm.

The focus shifts to professional development, talent management, training, performance monitoring, and the strengthening of organizational culture.

Rather than merely managing people-related processes, HR gains greater availability to ensure that professionals remain aligned with the firm’s strategy, objectives, and goals, identifying development needs and creating conditions that allow individuals to grow alongside the business.

This represents a significant conceptual shift.

HR ceases to be the operational intermediary between candidate and manager and becomes the architect and guardian of the people strategy.

AI executes recruitment operations at scale, the hiring area assumes responsibility for hiring decisions, and HR directs its energy toward what is inherently strategic: attracting, developing, training, engaging, and preparing people for the firm’s current and future challenges.

Ultimately, technology does not diminish the importance of HR. It elevates the role of the function.

What Are the Main Expected Benefits of Using AI?

The first benefit is scale.

An individual has limited capacity to review résumés and conduct interviews. A technological solution can process a much larger volume of candidates in a standardized manner and with continuous availability.

We also expect reduced manual effort, shorter hiring SLAs, and increased productivity within HR teams.

There is also a significant benefit for candidates.

Interviews can be conducted 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from any location, allowing candidates to choose a time when they feel most comfortable. This can reduce anxiety and make the initial stage of the process more accessible.

Rather than depending exclusively on the simultaneous availability of candidates and recruiters, technology broadens the service window.

Can AI Make the Recruitment Process Fairer?

It can contribute, provided that governance exists.

Processes conducted exclusively by people are also subject to biases, including unconscious biases. A structured solution can use predefined criteria and provide greater consistency when comparing candidates.

However, it is important not to fall into the misconception that AI automatically means neutrality.

Algorithms can also reproduce biases present in data, criteria, or system design.

For that reason, responsible use requires continuous monitoring, review of criteria, evaluation of outcomes, and mechanisms capable of identifying potential discriminatory patterns.

Technology can increase consistency within the recruitment process, but it must be continuously supervised.

What If a Candidate Believes They Were Harmed by an Automated Decision?

The use of AI does not eliminate candidate rights.

The LGPD establishes rights related to the processing of personal data and provides, among other protections, mechanisms related to decisions based solely on automated processing that affect the interests of the data subject.

Therefore, transparency is essential.

Candidates must know that they are interacting with an Artificial Intelligence solution and understand, within legal limits, how their data is being used.

In our model, there is an important distinction: AI does not make the final hiring decision.

It screens candidates, conducts interviews, and organizes information. The final decision remains with the manager responsible for the position.

This reduces the risk of turning the algorithm into the “judge” of the recruitment process.

How Can the Data Collected During AI Interviews Be Protected?

Information security does not begin with the AI tool itself. It is already part of the firm’s governance structure.

We have an Information Security Management function, structured policies and controls, and a Technology Committee that continuously monitors the solutions used by the organization.

Before implementation, we evaluate the solution and its provider through specific Information Security assessments covering data protection, access controls, storage, traceability, and risk management.

We also define which data is necessary, its purpose, who may access it, and how long it will be retained. Solutions are continuously monitored and calibrated.

In other words, security, data protection, and governance are part of the solution’s design and not a subsequent stage of innovation.

What If the Algorithm Displays Discriminatory Bias?

This is one of the primary concerns when using AI in recruitment processes.

Responsibility cannot simply be assigned to the algorithm or the provider. It is necessary to evaluate how the solution was configured, which criteria it uses, how data is processed, and how outcomes are monitored.

In our case, AI is calibrated according to the requirements of each position and continuously monitored.

Technology cannot operate as a “black box.” We must be able to identify distortions, challenge outcomes, and make adjustments when necessary.

Legal responsibility will depend on the circumstances and the conduct of each party, but the governance principle is clear: if technology impacts a decision about a person, its outcomes must be monitored and capable of correction.

How Long May Interview Data and Recordings Be Stored?

The retention period should be defined according to the purpose of processing, the applicable legal basis, retention requirements, and any legal obligations, while observing the security and governance criteria established by the firm.

Accordingly, clear criteria must be established regarding:

• Which data will be stored;
• How long it will be retained;
• Who will have access;
• When it should be deleted or anonymized.

These definitions must also align with the firm’s Information Security policies and data governance framework.

The principle is simple: data should not be stored merely because it may be useful in the future, but only while there is a legitimate and necessary purpose for its retention.

What Limits Prevent Automation From Dehumanizing Recruitment?

For us, efficiency cannot mean dehumanization.

The candidate remains a person, not merely a set of data or a score.

For that reason, technology must be combined with principles such as transparency, purpose limitation, necessity, security, non-discrimination, and human accountability.

In our model, technology creates a different experience for candidates. They may complete the first interview in a more comfortable manner, at a time that suits them, without immediately depending on a recruiter’s schedule.

However, there is a fundamental human step: the final interview with the hiring area.

It is at that moment that the manager meets the candidate, validates the information produced by AI, and evaluates the candidate’s alignment with the realities of the position.

So AI Does Not Replace Human Decision-Making?Exactly.

It replaces certain operational activities, but not responsibility for hiring.

This distinction is fundamental.

AI is highly efficient at processing information, identifying patterns, organizing data, and executing repetitive tasks at scale.

But hiring a person involves context, culture, relationships, experience, and responsibility.

Therefore, in our model, AI can identify and present the most suitable candidates, but the decision is made by the manager who understands the business and will be responsible for the hiring outcome.

What Changes in the Future of Recruitment?

I believe we are moving away from a model in which HR had to operationalize virtually every stage of recruitment toward a model in which technology, HR, and the business assume different and more specialized roles.

AI executes operations at scale.

HR establishes rules, governance, and people strategy, while gaining greater capacity to focus on development, training, engagement, and professional growth, ensuring that people remain aligned with the firm’s strategy, objectives, and goals.

The hiring area makes the decision regarding who will actually join the team.

This represents a paradigm shift.

We are not simply inserting AI into a recruitment process. We are redesigning the process based on what technology is capable of doing.

And that, in my view, is the true concept of digital transformation: not using technology merely to perform existing activities faster, but questioning whether those activities need to continue existing in the same way.

In recruitment, this means eliminating an operational layer, increasing scale, improving the candidate experience, and returning decision-making power to those who truly understand the business.

Ultimately, the combination we seek is quite simple:

Technology executes what can be automated; HR governs, develops, and prepares people for the business strategy; and human beings remain responsible for what requires context, judgment, and decision-making.

Technology does not reduce the importance of HR. It enables HR to operate at a more strategic level.