Costs and Benefits of AI Adoption in the Recruitment Process: Organisational, Recruiter, and Job Applicant Perspectives

This paper explores the disruptive impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on recruitment processes within organizations, with particular attention to the opportunities, challenges, and implications arising from the digitalization of HR practices. The study considers perspectives from organizations, recruiters, and candidates, focusing on how AI is reshaping traditional approaches to talent acquisition. From a methodological standpoint, the study adopts a Bibliometric-Systematic Literature Review (B-SLR) approach, following the parameters established by Marzi et al. (2025). This first level of analysis is enriched by an in-depth examination of the ten most cited articles on the topic. The objective of this study is to highlight both the opportunities and challenges - the lights and shadows - of the multifaceted potential of artificial intelligence within organizational contexts, specifically focusing on its application in the recruitment process as part of human resource management (HRM). Based on the findings from the Bibliometric-Systematic Literature Review (B-SLR) and the analysis of the most cited articles, a Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) aims to evaluate the overall impact of AI tools on recruitment processes, highlighting both the potential benefits and challenges arising from the use of AI in the recruiting process for organizations, HR professionals and job applicants. In doing so, this paper aims to support evidence-based decision making by providing both a conceptual framework and actionable insights regarding these three critical perspectives, in order to guide the effective and sustainable integration of AI into HR practices, emphasizing the importance of a balanced synergy between human expertise and artificial intelligence, particularly within recruitment processes.