This morning I watched the short film "I'm Not a Robot", a short by Victoria Warmerdam, starring Ellen Parren, who was nominated for an Oscar last night. Naturally, I watch with great interest as someone who works with AI daily at Red Rocket. I immediately saw the parallels with our activities. The film beautifully illustrates the fine line between technology and human contact - something we deal with on a daily basis. What is possible? What is expected? And how do we stay out of the Uncanny Valley? (The uncanny valley is a concept used to visualize a point where aversion arises for a humanoid robot as it more closely resembles a real human.)

I especially recognize this when I see how our chatbots conduct conversations with candidates. We consciously choose to be transparent: "Hello, I am a chatbot." (kind of) That honesty is crucial. Also, by using buttons in an interface, for example, it ensures that a candidate immediately (unconsciously) understands that no contact has been made with a real person.

What fascinates me the most is how this technology liberates recruiters. Last week, a client told me how she finally had time for what she should really be doing: developing creative sourcing strategies and having in-depth conversations with candidates. The repetitive tasks (introductory interviews) that once overwhelmed her are now fully handled by us.

This touches the essence of modern recruitment: finding that perfect balance between efficiency and humanity. In times of high work pressure and a tight labor market, it is tempting to rely entirely on automation. But as the film so aptly shows, the human touch remains irreplaceable. We are truly aware of that. Of course, this does not prevent us from looking every day for newer techniques that can extract the most important qualities of candidates in a healthy way. All within our chatbots.

For me personally, this means: yes, embrace AI for what it is - a powerful tool. But never forget that behind every application is a person with dreams, concerns, and ambitions. That is our real responsibility.

By the way, two films have been nominated: https://filmkrant.nl/nieuws/wander-to-wonder-en-im-not-a-robot-genomineerd-voor-oscar/