Artificial intelligence in recruitment and selection: a conceptual model and research agenda

Purpose This paper aims to review how artificial intelligence (AI) shapes the evolution of recruitment and selection practice in organisations. The paper presents a new research agenda, supported by a conceptual model, to advance understanding of how technical aspects of AI-enabled recruitment are configured by relationships between various actors in the recruitment process and in different institutional and cultural contexts. Design/methodology/approach This paper applies a social informatics (SI) lens to review and identify gaps in the literature on AI and recruitment and selection and propose a new conceptual model to guide future research. Findings The paper explains how complex interactions between technical and non-technical resources influence the reliability and validity of AI-enabled recruitment processes and fairness for job candidates. It also identifies two critical actors largely missing from existing research – the outsourced recruitment firm and the recruitment technology developer. Originality/value In a novel contribution, this paper adopts an SI lens to research on AI in recruitment and selection, presenting a comprehensive framework for future research that addresses areas where research lags behind industry practice.