Högskolan i Skövde

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into recruitment, reshaping how organizations source, screen, and select candidates. While much of the literature emphasizes the efficiency gains and ethical risks of AI, limited attention has been given to how recruiters themselves experience and navigate this transformation. This study explores how the adoption of AI in recruitment influences the roles, responsibilities, and competencies of recruiters. The research follows a qualitative, abductive approach, drawing on ten semi-structured interviews with recruiters across diverse industries and organizational contexts. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis, producing four key themes: (1) the transformation of recruiters’ roles from administrative to strategic functions, (2) shifting competencies, particularly digital literacy and interpretive skills, (3) persistent ethical concerns around fairness, bias, and transparency, and (4) the critical role of governance and organizational support in shaping adoption.The findings show that recruiters perceive AI not merely as a tool for efficiency but as a catalyst for reconfiguring professional identity. Recruiters must increasingly balance efficiency with ethical responsibility, requiring new digital competencies and governance frameworks. By applying the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), and Social Judgment Theory (SJT), the study demonstrates that recruiter adoption is conditioned by perceived usefulness, organizational pressures, and ethical anchors.This study contributes theoretically by extending TAM and TPB to highlight role transformation and competence development, and by applying SJT to explain variations in ethical acceptance of AI in recruitment. Practically, the research provides guidance for organizations to implement AI responsibly, emphasizing the need for training, transparency, and governance mechanisms that support recruiters as active mediators rather than passive adopters. The study concludes that AI in recruitment is not simply a technological innovation but a transformative force reshaping the future of the recruiter profession.