Having not seen rain for ages, TalentHunter’s launch last week was a celebration of note amidst some welcome precipitation.

Something else was being welcomed too; a completely new approach to recruitment for employers and jobseekers alike.

TalentHunter launches, a human view of AI recruitment

In the atmospheric environment of Merrow Restaurant and Bar, the new recruitment technology platform officially launched its brand. The event attracted guests from the recruitment, technology, business and political communities with plenty of food, drinks and conversation.

But underneath the celebration was a more serious question.

What happens when we put AI into recruitment, but refuse to put people out of it?

This is the question Liam Whelan, co-founder of TalentHunter, wishes to answer.

And judging by the conversation at the launch, it’s a question that’s becoming increasingly difficult for the industry to ignore.

AI assisted, but people still decide

TalentHunter makes no bones about leveraging AI technology as part of the recruitment process.

This technology is useful in many areas. For employers, AI helps with skills based matching to find candidates. For jobseekers, a free CV analysis tool helps them understand how their CV is likely to be assessed and how they might improve it.

However, the company’s proposition is deliberately different to the AI-powered jobs boards out there.

TalentHunter’s platform produces recommendations. But a person recruiter makes the final decision.

This “human in the loop” approach runs through the entire TalentHunter platform. There is nothing in the system that can’t be reviewed by a person and AI does not make the final hiring decision.

Liam is adamant that this is not a nice principle to have on a website. It’s fundamental to how he believes recruitment technology should work.

He goes on to explain how so much of the recruitment industry has become buried under clicks, tiers, lengthy terms and conditions and systems that are difficult for ordinary people to understand.

TalentHunter has deliberately staked its claim on taking a different approach.

All terms, conditions and policies have been simplified into plain English. The company aims to make key information accessible without forcing users through page after page of legal or technical language.

Building for the regulation before it arrives

TalentHunter’s focus on transparency comes as AI regulation develops across Europe.

The startup is one of the early signatories to the European Commission’s AI Pact, and has signed both sections of the EU Code of Practice on Transparency of AI Generated Content. The company has built its recruitment technology around compliance more than a year ahead of the 2027 deadline.

As Liam explains, “Our philosophy is simple. If AI is going to be involved in decisions that affect people’s careers, people need to understand where and how it’s being used.”

A launch with a wider conversation

The launch also had a timely political dimension.

Naoise Ó Cearúil TD, who chairs the Oireachtas AI Committee and is involved in Ireland’s AI Summit team, attended the event and gave a short address. He brought an appropriate public policy perspective to the evening and reiterated the government’s position to use AI to create opportunity for people.

The evening was a perfect highlight of just how technology and people can not only co-exist but thrive together.

It marked a milestone for TalentHunter as the startup celebrates its first full year in operation.

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