For years, the global conversation around artificial intelligence in recruitment has sounded like a courtroom debate. Is it ethical? Is it biased? Should it be regulated before it is adopted? India, it seems, has stepped out of the courtroom and into the workplace.
New global research by Indeed, conducted across 12 countries, shows that India leads the world in AI acceptance during hiring. Just 5% of employers and 8% of job seekers in India report avoiding AI tools altogether. In the UK, by contrast, nearly two-thirds of candidates say they would not use AI tools in their job search. Globally, about 40% of candidates remain hesitant. The data tells a story that is less about technology and more about temperament.
A different starting point
To understand India’s position, one must first acknowledge the context. Over the past decade, Indians have embraced digital infrastructure at an extraordinary pace, from mobile banking to online education to gig platforms. For millions, technology has not replaced opportunity; it has expanded it.
AI in hiring, then, does not feel like an intrusion. It feels like an upgrade.
The research suggests that Indian employers and job seekers have reached a tacit agreement: AI can assist, but it should not dominate.
It can screen, match, and sort, but the final judgment still rests with humans. That shared understanding reduces friction. In other markets, that agreement does not yet exist.
The trust equation
The UK’s resistance, where nearly two-thirds of candidates avoid AI tools, signals a deeper anxiety. There, the concern is not about convenience but about control. Who trains the algorithm? What biases are embedded? Can a machine truly assess ambition, resilience, or potential?
These are valid concerns. But what is striking is the degree to which Indian respondents appear less paralysed by them.
Trust, in this context, does not necessarily mean blind faith. It reflects a practical calculation: in a labour market as vast and competitive as India’s, AI can reduce chaos. When thousands apply for a single role, automation becomes less of a luxury and more of a logistical necessity. Indeed’s findings suggest that both employers and candidates in India recognise this reality.
The seven fault lines that technology cannot fix
Yet the research does not romanticise AI. It identifies seven critical disconnects that continue to make hiring difficult worldwide.
These gaps are not technical; they are structural and psychological.
Employers speak of skills shortages while candidates struggle to decode what “job-ready” truly means. Recruiters prioritise speed, but applicants crave transparency. Organisations say they value potential, yet automated systems often reward keyword precision over nuanced experience. AI can streamline processes. It cannot resolve contradictions.
In fact, when poorly governed, it can widen them, filtering out unconventional candidates, reinforcing historical hiring patterns, and privileging polished digital profiles over raw promise.
Efficiency versus empathy
The real risk is not that AI will take over hiring. It is that hiring will become overly optimised. Recruitment, at its core, is an act of judgment under uncertainty. It requires reading between lines, interpreting ambition, and sometimes taking a bet on potential.
Algorithms excel at pattern recognition; they struggle with intuition.
India’s enthusiasm for AI may give it a competitive edge in efficiency. The next challenge will be safeguarding empathy.
Indeed’s research positions India ahead in acceptance. The harder question is whether that acceptance will be accompanied by robust oversight, clear guidelines, bias audits, and transparent communication to candidates about how AI shapes decisions.
A shift in mindset, not just method
What the data ultimately reveals is a mindset shift. In many parts of the world, AI in hiring is framed as a threat to fairness. In India, it appears to be framed as a tool for access.
That difference matters. For a country where scale defines every system, from education to employment, technological mediation often feels inevitable. The debate has moved from ideological resistance to practical deployment.
But leadership in adoption is not the same as leadership in ethics.
As AI becomes embedded in recruitment pipelines, the responsibility intensifies.
If India has moved beyond asking whether to use AI, the next, more difficult question awaits: can it use AI without eroding the human core of hiring?
The answer will not be found in code. It will be found in how employers choose to balance efficiency with judgment, and how much transparency candidates demand in return.
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