AI and Recruitment – the compliance deadline has moved, but not by much!

The EU has provisionally agreed to defer the high-risk AI compliance deadline for recruitment and employment decisions from August 2026 to December 2027. A welcome reprieve for HR teams dealing with ever-increasing demands to do more with less.

Delayed but not changed. Using AI in recruitment for candidate screening and selection is still classified as high-risk under the EU AI Act.

To make use of this extra time here are 3 things HR leaders can do now

Map your AI tools

Identify and document every AI system impacting your hiring process, from writing job descriptions to CV screening and interview platforms. You need to know what you’re using before you can prove it’s compliant.

I have worked with clients who initially thought that their ATS automatically ranking CVs according to fit to the role was NOT a use of AI. It is!

Review your candidate transparency disclosure

Regardless of the new deadline, if your organisation is currently using AI to automate decision making around rejecting or progressing candidates your candidates should be informed.

Review your job ads to ensure they let candidates know if AI is being used to screen or score applications. Don’t bury it in some obscure GDPR Privacy Notice.

Sample statement

“We use AI-assisted tools to support the initial review of applications to help us manage volume and ensure consistency. These tools support but never replace human judgement. All shortlisting and hiring decisions are made by a member of our recruitment team”

Keep human oversight in your process

Train recruiters to understand AI outputs, challenge them and override them where needed. AI should support hiring decisions, not replace human judgment.

Think copilot not autopilot.

The compliance deadline may have moved, but the work required to prepare has not.

Organisations that start reviewing their AI tools, candidate communications, and oversight processes now will be in a far stronger position when the new requirements come into force.

Need support reviewing your recruitment process?

Hilt works with organisations to build interview processes that consistently find the right people.

Find out more about Hilt Select – Interviewer Training Workshop, or contact us to discuss interviewer training, recruitment processes, and fair, effective candidate assessment.