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Building Responsible AI Tools for People First Hiring 

Designer using a laptop during a meeting in an office. Happy business man reading an email while sitting in a boardroom with his colleagues.

Every week, I see companies racing to launch new AI features, but few stop to ask the most important question: are we building AI that our customers can actually trust? The future of hiring will be shaped by the choices talent acquisition professionals make today, not just about what AI can do, but what it should do. 

AI is transforming every part of the talent acquisition process, from how candidates are sourced and screened to how they’re engaged and evaluated. That progress brings tremendous opportunity, but also a responsibility to ensure technology strengthens the hiring process rather than distancing recruiters and candidates from one another. At Employ, we believe AI should make hiring more fair, more consistent, and more human, without ever replacing the judgment, empathy, and experience that recruiters bring to their work. 

Responsible AI Starts with Intentional Design 

Responsible AI isn’t something applied after the fact. It is our foundation. It begins with intentionality: clear governance, transparency, and human oversight in every decision. 

At Employ, our work is guided by four principles that define how we design and deliver AI recruiting tools:  

  • Human Oversight and Control: AI should enhance human judgment; not replace it. Recruiters remain in control at the moments that matter. 
  • Trust and Transparency: We design explainable systems, so teams understand how and why a recommendation is made. 
  • Fair and Inclusive: We use representative, high-quality data and continuous testing to reduce bias and ensure equitable outcomes. 
  • Practical and Flexible: There is no one-size-fits-all AI. Effective AI talent acquisition software adapts to people and processes, not the other way around.  

Every Employ AI capability that is developed is monitored with IBM watsonx.governance, ensuring continuous bias testing, audit-ready documentation, and support for compliance with frameworks like the EU AI Act, New York City’s Local Law 144, and Colorado SB24-205. 

Governance is not just about meeting compliance requirements; it’s about earning trust. We embed transparency, fairness, and accountability into every stage of how our technology operates. When people understand why AI makes a recommendation, they can trust its outcomes with confidence. 

Protecting the Hiring Process from Fraud 

Responsible AI is not only about ethics. It is also a defense strategy. Candidate fraud has become one of the fastest-growing risks in talent acquisition, from deepfake interviews to identity spoofing. Misrepresentation does not just affect recruiters and candidates. It damages trust across entire hiring ecosystems. 

However, the answer is not to make hiring harder for everyone. Some approaches add complex identity verification steps when submitting an application, which can create friction or disadvantage candidates from global or diverse backgrounds. We should never lose sight of fairness nor the importance of the candidate’s experience. 

At Employ, we take a layered and adaptive approach. Early in the process, lightweight screening signals and bot detection help identify low-intent or automated applications without slowing down legitimate candidates. As interviews progress, we integrate with trusted partners like ID.me, which most Americans use for secure identity verification across government, commercial and non-profit websites. This allows teams to confirm identity without invasive biometrics or unnecessary hurdles.  

This approach protects authenticity and privacy while allowing recruiters to move faster and make decisions confidently. For compliance leaders, it offers documentation and assurance that governance frameworks are being followed every step of the way. And for candidates, it ensures an equitable process where opportunity and trust remain in balance. 

How Responsible AI Improves Hiring for Everyone 

Responsible AI does not just solve problems; it creates conditions for better work. Recruiters gain time back to focus on meaningful conversations. Leaders gain clarity and visibility powered by data they can trust. Candidates gain confidence that they are being evaluated for their skills, not filtered out by opaque algorithms. 

AI should act like a partner, not a gatekeeper. It should reduce complexity, not add to it. The best AI recruiting platforms and interview intelligence tools support connection, creativity, and culture by automating repetitive, surface-level tasks so people can focus on what matters most. 

When technology is grounded in transparency and fairness, it does not replace humanity. It amplifies it. That is what Responsible AI offers: hiring decisions that are clearer, more confident, and rooted in trust, for both recruiters and candidates.  

Choosing the Responsible Path Forward 

In a market where new AI tools appear overnight, trust has become a true differentiator. At Employ, we are not chasing the fastest solution. We are building the right one. One that lasts, scales, and protects people. 

We are proud to be the safe bet for organizations that want AI recruiting software innovation grounded in fairness, transparency, and accountability. Because hiring is not just about efficiency. It is about people. And people deserve technology they can trust. 

The question is no longer whether AI will shape the future of hiring. It already is. It is up to us to shape it responsibly with the right hiring software that puts people first. 

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Dara Brenner

Chief Executive Officer, Employ
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Dara Brenner is the Chief Executive Officer of Employ Inc. who brings more than 25 years of executive leadership experience spanning product vision, business strategy, and organizational excellence. She has a proven track record of delivering customer-centric solutions, guiding companies through transformative growth, and building future-ready operating models.

Prior to being named CEO, Dara served as Chief Product Officer at Employ, where she spearheaded a major evolution of the company’s product portfolio, including the integration of AI capabilities. Under her leadership, Dara set a new standard for HR technology, advancing the product strategy and delivering solutions that redefined how employers and job seekers connect.

Dara has held senior leadership positions at ADP, Equifax Workforce Solutions, and Ultimate Software/UKG, where she shaped strategic direction, drove operational advancements, and delivered industry-leading workforce technology. Notably, she founded and scaled ADP’s first Innovation Lab, pioneering the adoption of agile practices that reshaped how teams collaborated and accelerated delivery of forward-looking solutions across the organization.

As CEO of Employ, Dara is committed to advancing the company’s mission to reshape the hiring experience. She is passionate about driving product evolution, enabling long-term customer success, and ensuring that Employ continues to lead with innovation, integrity, and impact in the HR technology space.