From algorithms and models that bring more complex insights into the hiring process, to chatbots that can revolutionize communication and information sharing, to recommender systems that ensure the right matches; the applications of AI in HR are as diverse as they are effective, all in order to initiate and maintain successful, long-lasting, and happy employer-employee relationships.

But what about the human resources?

Despite what more dystopian rumours and whispers may have you believe, in most cases, the use of AI within any process is most optimal when its purpose is to support the current system rather than replace it. There is always some degree of automation, but not in a terminator way. Human intuition, experience, and professional’s gut feeling are things that need to be preserved and encouraged. The purpose of adding an AI component to your approach is just that: eliminate mindless, repetitive tasks, better organize resources, and provide the tools necessary so that specialists can do their job living up to their full potential.

What about the resources in human resources?

According to an IBM global survey of more than 6,000 executives, “66% of CEOs believe cognitive computing can dive significant value in HR.”On the other hand, according to the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA) a large percentage of businesses consider themselves unlikely to adopt an AI solution to due to the fact their organizations are too small or the specific use cases are not immediately obvious.

A first AI solution for human resources is

Chatbots

Getting introduced

First impressions have always been regarded in high standard. This can mean a potential employee’s first contact with a company’s website or advertisement, the first meeting with a representative, or even the first official day of work. Key benefits of an AI digital assistant in such cases are available and neutrality: a chatbot can be readily available 24/7 prepared to answer any questions or offer guidance within a few short moments – always providing complete and accurate information.

Where do I find the coffee?

A chatbot can be a great way to show the “personality” by enabling it to answer questions about the company culture. Furthermore, a use case identified by IBM describes an introduction chatbot that can assist any employee upon their start at a new company. Think back on your first day, perhaps questions like “Where do I find coffee cups?”, “Which software should I install?”, or “Is King’s day a free holiday?” can be answered instantaneously. At the same time, a bot could recommend people to whom they should reach out to, still maintaining the social aspect of the introduction.

A new, more intuitive way of reaching information

The same system can also be extended beyond the context of introductions to the company. Think of chatbots as a newer, more intuitive way of reaching information:

• Inquiring about protocols interacting with a set of business rules;
• Finding contact details from people in different departments – interacting with a database;
• Or finding out when people are available and even scheduling meetings via text – interacting with calendars & schedules.

Mediaan is experienced in developing advanced AI chatbots that can be personalized for your specific use cases.

A second solution for human resources

Recommender systems

Recommender systems are algorithms that suggest an optimal choice based on a set of parameters and even preferences

• Who should fill out an open position from a list of candidates?
• Who should be added to a new project?
• Who should I go to with my question?

These are the sort of questions that can be easily automated by a recommender system.
Going one step further, reciprocal recommender systems takes into account preferences from two sides – finding the right match from both involved entities:

• Finding the best employee who would, in turn, also prefer your company above others;
• Adding the best person to a project based on the skills and experience they bring in – while providing them with the opportunity to learn or develop in the direction they are also interested in.

Such systems are implemented already in various use cases, a more famous of which is online dating – only proving the versatility and reusability of a good AI solution.

Resource matching problem at the latest Maastricht University Hackathon

Mediaan invested in research on this topic by providing a resource matching problem to the latest Maastricht University hackathon. Our winning team proposed an innovative HR platform that tests attempts to make perfect matches between employees and employers taking into account personality and company culture along with skills or requirements.