Most TA teams are implementing AI backwards.
They start with efficiency metrics, cost reduction targets, and top-down mandates — then wonder why recruiters resist, adoption stalls, and the promised transformation never arrives. The result? Broken processes automated at scale. Digital dysfunction is delivered faster.
But there's a different path emerging. Research shows that when humans delegate specific tasks to AI rather than surrendering entire workflows, they work 24% faster while maintaining quality. Full automation? It actually slows things down by nearly 18%. The evidence is clear: the competitive advantage isn't in the algorithms — it's in how well you integrate human expertise with AI capability.
In this session, Felix Wetzel — VP of Product Management at Cielo and author of The Recruitment Renaissance Manifesto — will challenge the prevailing approach to AI in talent acquisition and lay out a practical alternative. Drawing from years of implementation experience and his Mobilize-Standardize-Simplify framework, Felix will cover:
Why most AI implementations fail before they start — and the five root causes TA leaders keep overlooking, from wrong starting points to the vendor "AI-washing" that creates an illusion of progress while entrenching outdated approaches.
The grassroots revolution already happening inside your team — your recruiters are already using AI as shadow IT. That's not a compliance problem. It's a signal that your official systems aren't solving their real problems.
A practical framework for getting it right — how to mobilize your people first, standardize what works, and simplify your tech stack so technology serves recruiters rather than the other way around.
How to bridge the gap between executive mandate and frontline reality — because the most successful transformations don't choose between top-down and bottom-up. They orchestrate both.
This session is for TA leaders who are tired of being sold digital snake oil and are ready to lead a transformation that actually starts with the people doing the work.