AI Alone Can’t Deliver Workplace Diversity, New Research Finds

While artificial intelligence promises efficiency in recruitment, new evidence highlights that genuine diversity gains depend on clear guidelines, explainable AI, and organisational commitment to inclusion, not just the adoption of new technology.

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Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used in human resources (HR) to streamline processes and enhance decision-making by helping employers efficiently sift through large volumes of job applications.

However, new research by the University of South Australia suggests that relying on AI tools alone to screen candidates isn't enough to improve diversity outcomes in workplaces.

Human resource management expert Associate Professor Connie Zheng, co-director of UniSA's Centre for Workplace Excellence, has conducted research into how AI can affect hiring decisions when it comes to improving diversity and inclusion by reaching gender quotas, having racially diverse teams, and recruiting LGBTIQA+ employees or people with disabilities.

Some HR professionals are using AI tools to assist in the recruitment process by screening job candidates, responding to applicant emails, or focusing on specialised tasks such as CV screening, job matching, or voice and video analysis.

Assoc Prof Zheng says two separate studies into the use of AI to enhance diversity and inclusion in hiring decisions looked beyond whether humans or AI make better choices.

"We explored what conditions help AI tools to actually support more diverse hiring as we found that simply having a reliable AI tool isn't enough to improve diversity in workplace recruitment," she says.

"Diversity only improves when the AI system can explain its decisions regarding diversity, when hiring focuses on qualitative goals and not just numbers, and when an organisation has clear diversity guidelines.

"These factors encourage HR professionals and decision-makers to reflect more carefully on their choices. In short, AI can help improve diversity in hiring, but only when used under the right conditions and organisational support for the application of new technology, as well as clear diversity, equity and inclusion guidelines."

Despite AI's growing popularity in many fields, including education, health care, manufacturing, and finance, many HR professionals are hesitant to adopt the tools.

Assoc Prof Zheng says some companies have several concerns and are reluctant to invest in AI for hiring decisions because they're apprehensive about the technology's limitations, particularly in terms of biased data.

She says many also feel their existing HR teams are competent enough to manage recruitment without AI, although these concerns shift if HR departments face staffing reductions, increased workloads, or heightened demands for efficiency.

"Despite these reservations, many organisations view AI as a way to significantly save costs by streamlining manual processes. Some companies have the mindset that using AI in HR is efficiency driven – it will make them work faster. The main goal of using AI is to expedite the process, particularly when dealing with large volumes of job applications," Assoc Prof Zheng says.

"With AI, a hirer can use the technology to filter appropriate applicants rather than sifting through hundreds of CVs and job applications manually. The problem when the main goal is efficiency is that diversity issues often then take a backseat."

Whether the use of AI tools in recruiting helps reduce discrimination or instead intensifies the problem remains a subject of controversial debate. Assoc Prof Zheng's ongoing collaborative research with HUMAINE – Human Centred AI Network led by Professor Uta Wilkens at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, has revealed that simply providing a reliable, AI support tool that is considerate of diversity needs doesn't automatically lead to diversity enhancement.

"Unless the organisation and its hirers are conscious about diversity and justice issues, using AI for talent acquisition isn't going to lead to more diverse and inclusive outcomes," Assoc Prof Zheng says.