BioSpace spoke to talent acquisition leaders about how they think artificial intelligence will shape the future of their function.
How life sciences organizations can apply artificial intelligence (AI) to various disciplines and processes has been a key topic for years. Talent acquisition is no exception. The subject has appeared on the agenda at LEAP TA and LEAP HR, events designed for talent acquisition and human resources professionals in the industry, as businesses consider how to optimize workforce management and the opportunities and challenges AI presents.
Many life sciences organizations have faced change in recent years in response to a tough funding environment that has required restructuring, budget constraints and rapidly evolving skill gaps. How tech stacks can improve business practices and make talent acquisition more efficient has become an important discussion point particularly because of these challenges. According to a Gallup study on AI adoption, 93% of Fortune 500 chief human resources officers say their organization has begun using AI tools and technologies to improve business practices.
To explore this important and timely topic, BioSpace spoke to talent acquisition leaders for their predictions on how AI will impact the future of talent acquisition practices.
Applications in Sourcing, Candidate Engagement
Ryan Maglione, senior vice president, talent at Syneos Health, has spent a lot of time over the past year considering AI, its implications and its potential for the business.
“It’s going to allow us to do better quality work,” he said, explaining how AI will improve automation as it is applied to various aspects of talent acquisition, including sourcing, marketing and candidate engagement, in the next year or so. “We have a lot of automation built into some of our CRM tools and our ATS. And the reality is, we’re not using the automation as well as we could, but I think AI might help us to use that automation better.”
It takes work to prepare for AI, Maglione emphasized. How AI impacts talent acquisition and organizations depends on the risk tolerance and how firmly users embrace it.
Dante Maiden, executive director of talent acquisition sourcing and engagement at Bristol Myers Squibb, expressed a similar sentiment.
“The one thing I think is most important is making sure that your agility and rigor around implementing the technology is matched with your plan for learning and training and capability build for the team that’s using it,” she said.
Maiden and her team are using data-generated insights, and she thinks this is where AI will evolve and be applied over the next year at BMS.
“If I had to think about the one-year plan for AI, it’ll probably be to continue to drive insights,” she said. “I think it’ll become commonplace in terms of using AI for workforce insights, thinking a little bit about talent planning, demand planning.”
Maiden believes that in five years, AI will support a broader framework for talent assessment in areas including executive recruiting, hiring practices, internal mobility and succession planning. Maiden said peers should think about all the ways they could use predictive support and insights in talent acquisition, such as implementation of a skills hierarchy.
Maglione agreed that AI will support assessment for skills, motivational fit or cultural fit—though he believes that compliance and bias may be a hurdle for meaningful AI assessments that can identify top talent.
“When you say five years out, I feel like that’s the hope,” he said.
Maglione also thinks longer-term AI will provide significant administrative efficiencies—such as for scheduling—and improved candidate communication. He noted that the main reason candidates do not feel their recruitment experience is positive is due to the timeliness or thoroughness of communication.
“If we get AI right, I think it can serve as a true extension of our team,” Maglione said.
Building Capability and Comfort
Ensuring data integrity is critical to ensuring AI tools are valuable. The people providing that data must know what to look for and how to ensure the input is meaningful.
Maiden noted that the variety and availability of new tools to help recruiters source and identify talent has proliferated. Because of that, those using available tools must be adequately trained and have a high degree of comfort with AI.
In addition, Maiden discussed the importance of transparency around data and storytelling in terms of capability.
“Make sure that the recruiters or the end users or sources are able to identify what is that relevant data, because it pulls a lot of data for you to work through,” she said. “It’s really helping to build those capabilities and those competencies as you’re introducing the technology. It’s no different than getting a new toy or a new iPhone. You have to make sure that folks are competent and capable and comfortable to use it. That’s how you see the benefit. If not, it becomes another thing that they have to deal with.”
Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration
At the end of October, life sciences talent acquisition and human resource professionals will convene in Boston at LEAP TA: Life Sciences to discuss the challenges and opportunities they face in their industry.
Maiden is speaking at the event, focusing on optimizing the talent acquisition and sourcing function through strategies, tools and technology. “I’m always searching for technology and looking at innovative tools and approaches,” she said. “The tools are going to be significant.”
Maglione will speak on a panel discussing how AI will impact talent acquisition organizations.
“The LEAP team always puts on a tremendous agenda of topics that are thoughtful, so AI, I’m sure, will be one of the hot topics, whether it be tech, new uses for AI,” he said. “Every industry’s unique in its way, but life science is a true unique industry when it comes to talent, and when you can have all your peers who live and breathe life sciences together in a room to share those challenges and opportunities, it really resonates.”
BioSpace is proud to be a media partner of LEAP TA: Life Sciences. The 2024 edition of this event will be in Boston Oct. 29–30, uniting 100+ talent leaders from biopharma across the U.S. Register for the event.
