Over the past year, a dramatic divide has opened up in the recruiting world. On one side? Recruiters working about 60% more productively than their peers. On the other? Teams struggling to keep up, often stymied by old habits or organizations slow to adapt. The surprise isn’t a shiny new tool or magic formula. It’s all about how they’re leveraging AI.

This new divide isn’t about who’s technical versus who’s not. The real gap? Complacent versus curious recruiters. Complacency keeps you stuck; curiosity compels you to learn and adapt. The difference is becoming more obvious with every new wave of AI innovation. Recruiters who experiment and push boundaries gain more leverage, while those who cling to legacy processes are increasingly left behind.

📺 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dAu8N1vmh5Q

How Is AI Changing Recruiting—And What Types Should We Know?

Let’s clarify our terms. At conferences, “AI” means different things to different people—so think in three buckets:

• Automation: Simple, rules-based systems (“do this for me”) for scheduling and reminders.

• Generative AI: Ideation and content creation as a co-pilot (“create with me”).

• Agentic AI: The most advanced—adaptive, multi-step planning and execution (“do this like me”).

Imagine beginning your day with an AI that has already built your candidate pipeline, flagged needed actions, and scheduled outreach so you’re not staring at a blank screen. Agentic AI is no longer just theory—it’s delivering real results for teams deploying it

Leading minds in recruiting show how agentic AI transforms work. I sat down with two on my podcast to pick their brains on where AI is taking the recruiting industry. Stephen Chang, CEO of HireEZ, says Agentic AI plans and executes workflows independently, using databases, APIs, and other tools. Its core advantage: recruiters aren’t judged on how well they use software, but on their ability to deliver results. This is something to be excited about, not scared of. Mark Chaffey, CEO at Hackajob, reframes agentic AI as a digital “recruiter twin.” Instead of seeing AI as a simple filter, imagine a system that knows your style, your priorities, and works as a true partner to prioritize and orchestrate your pipeline. His firm has a tool allowing recruiters to talk to the tool like an actual teammate. This reimagined relationship boosts productivity and brings real value to both organizations and candidates.

Takeaway from both: it is an exciting time to be in recruiting!

Why Should Recruiters Contribute to AI—Not Just Consume?

Lydia Wu, HR tech analysts, says there are just two choices: consume or contribute. Consumers accept generic suggestions, but contributors feed their expertise and process into the AI system, making its outputs reflect the team’s unique strengths. As outsourcing and new operating models change TA, contributing helps recruiters stay indispensable by having their own fingerprints embedded in each workflow the AI supports. Recruiters who take action with AI see outsized results.

Those who experiment and test new tools are starting to outpace those that don’t engage with AI. GitHub data shows a 60% boost for coders using AI. In TA, those using AI not only engage more candidates simultaneously, but also arrive better prepared and ready to add strategic value to the hiring process. The gap is widening, and next year the difference will be even greater.

What Matters More: Technical Skills or Curiosity?

The evidence: Curiosity is the key. In recruiting, technical mastery isn’t enough. Those who continually test new strategies, adapt quickly, and challenge themselves to learn AI tools—whether scheduling, sourcing, or reporting—deliver more genuine value to clients and candidates alike. The lesson for teams is clear: don’t wait for perfection, prioritize persistence and learning instead. Getting started doesn’t require deep technical skill. Start small by typing “How do I source X with AI?” into YouTube, or try a new workflow that addresses a real problem in your daily process.

Curiosity outranks complacency: those who try, learn, and share will shape recruiting’s future, not just keep up with it. And sharing knowledge helps the entire community benefit from AI’s accelerating advances. If this perspective resonates, subscribe to Human Capitalist or explore the “AI in Recruiting” series for more tools, guides, and ongoing conversation. The next era in recruiting belongs to the curious. Will you lean in, or hold back?