70% of companies will use AI for hiring in 2025, says new study

When recruiters are tasked with wading through hundreds or thousands of applications for an open position, they often rely on AI-powered tools to screen résumés and make the hiring process more manageable. These tools have only grown more popular in recent years, with over half of companies currently using AI technology in their hiring process.

According to a new survey from Resume Builder, that figure could increase to nearly 70% by the end of 2025, particularly among larger employers. A vast majority of companies—82%—currently use it to screen résumés, while about 40% employ AI to communicate with applicants. About 64% use AI for evaluating assignments or tests that candidates are asked to do as they advance through the interview process. Another popular use case for companies employing AI was onboarding new employees and scanning candidates’ social media profiles and websites during the hiring process.

AI use in interviewing and vetting candidates

But the survey also found that some companies—23%—were already relying on artificial intelligence to conduct interviews, and that another 19% were planning to start doing so within the next year. That can include using AI to ask interview questions, analyze body language, or transcribe interviews. In fact, according to the survey, 24% of companies said they currently use AI for the “entire interview process,” and that number is projected to increase to 29% by the end of 2025.

Screening résumés remains one of the most common ways to use AI, especially after many companies adopted hybrid or remote work arrangements that have led to an increase in applications for open positions. But as these tools have become widespread, it has become clear that relying too heavily on them can introduce bias into the hiring process; recruiters might dismiss candidates who have a gap in their résumé or don’t use the correct keywords.

Resume Builder’s survey found that while half of companies exclusively use AI tools to reject applicants during the early stage of reviewing résumés, about 21% cut candidates at any stage of the hiring process “without human review.”

Potential for bias

If companies continue to incorporate AI into other aspects of the hiring process, particularly for interviews, it could potentially exacerbate some of these issues. Many employers are aware of the issue: Resume Builder found that 67% of companies surveyed said AI tools could introduce bias into the hiring process.

Experts have warned that AI tools should be used sparingly for high-level hires or during certain steps in the hiring process—including for interviews. As executive search leader Adam Charlson recently wrote in Fast Company, “Humans should be leading hiring tasks when it comes to nuanced aspects of the process, including assessing leadership style, emotional intelligence, career aspirations, and organizational fit, as well as late-stage candidate comparisons.”