​When journalist Palki Sharma, in a recent Firstpost video, asked whether technology is delivering on its promise or quietly creating new crises, she touched on a truth that recruiters cannot afford to ignore. Her words were about society, yet they echo with unsettling accuracy in today’s hiring world. Artificial Intelligence promised speed, efficiency, and scale. It was meant to fix broken systems, not add new fractures. In recruitment, it did deliver faster resume scans, automated scheduling, and lightning-quick shortlists. Companies in IT, BFSI, e-commerce, and consulting now hire with tools that move faster than human judgment ever could. On paper, this looks like progress.

But look closer, and the paradox reveals itself. Candidates across India are applying endlessly, guided by AI-crafted resumes and chatbots, only to feel invisible in a sea of identical profiles. Recruiters, armed with filters and algorithms, drown in noise rather than insight. The system runs faster, yet the experience feels colder.

This is not efficiency. This is erosion.

And that is why Palki’s line strikes so hard: technology without imagination creates gaps. Recruitment, stripped down to transactions, loses its essence. The art of seeing potential in an unconventional career path, the empathy that reassures a candidate during uncertainty, the trust that turns a hire into a partner — these are not metrics AI can calculate.

At Crescendo Global, we witness this every day. Leadership hiring is not a numbers game. You can match skillsets, but that does not guarantee cultural alignment. You can shortlist resumes, but that does not reveal ambition. You can automate interviews, but that does not inspire loyalty. Human intelligence fills the gaps that AI leaves behind.

The trends of 2025 confirm the paradox. Companies are doubling down on AI for volume and speed, yet they are realising that the hires who truly transform organisations come through conversations, networks, and judgment. Candidates, too, are learning that authenticity cuts through where automation drowns out.

So what does this mean for recruiters? It means the responsibility is heavier than ever. AI can find profiles. Recruiters must find people. AI can predict skills. Recruiters must decode values. AI can generate shortlists. Recruiters must build trust that sustains careers. The future of hiring in India will not be AI against human. It will be AI plus human. That is the architecture of growth. That is how organisations will discover leaders, how professionals will find purpose, and how the recruitment industry will stay relevant in an age of relentless automation.

At Crescendo Global, we believe algorithms can point the way, but empathy builds the bridge. And in the battle for talent, empathy will always be the edge.