Talent acquisition strategies in 2026 are being driven by AI, which is changing nearly every aspect of how business is done, and the need to drive cost out of the business, according to Gartner, Inc., a business and technology insights company.

This research was showcased today during Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo, taking place here through Thursday.

Gartner has identified four trends that will shape talent acquisition in 2026:

• High-volume recruiting goes AI-first
• Recruiter skills shift for more complex work
• Talent acquisition redesigns early career programs to pipeline future jobs
• AI reshapes how organizations assess talent

“Many AI use cases in recruiting have been around for a long time, and we’re starting to see real value,” said Jamie Kohn, Senior Director, Research, in the Gartner HR practice. “Now new AI technologies are emerging with the potential to fundamentally reshape recruiting, like generative AI, interview intelligence tools, and recruiter AI agents.”

Organizations should consider the following aspects of talent acquisition in 2026:

Injecting AI into high-volume recruiting

High-volume, low-complexity roles – frontline roles such as retail workers, customer service reps, drivers – are ideal for an AI-first approach. They have the highest potential for cost savings, the stable, repetitive work is a good fit for AI capabilities, and there’s less risk of backlash from candidates or the business as these roles already have a low service level.

Before leveraging AI for high-volume roles, talent acquisition leaders should consider the following:

• Hands-on monitoring is a must. As agentic AI evolves, recruiting leaders should define the reasonable range of outcomes ahead of time and watch closely for deviations.
• There is such a thing as too much efficiency. Inserting a realistic job preview into the process can guard against a flood of low-quality applicants by helping candidates think through whether they actually want the job before they apply.
• Reframe the risk of bias. Talent acquisition leaders should refocus stakeholders on how an AI-augmented process is less biased than the current human-only system.
• Candidates expect transparency and, if possible, choice. Recruiting leaders should clarify how they use AI in the hiring process and allow candidates to opt out of AI interviews. This can build trust with candidates about being treated fairly in the hiring process.

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