I had a great time catching up over lunch earlier last week with a former client that I have known for years a CHRO and industry veteran who's been in HR / Talent Acquisition over three decades. We were talking about how much things have changed over the years, when he said:

"I'll be honest. If a company ever asked me to do an interview with AI, I'd pass on the job."

I didn't flinch. I've heard this before. A lot, actually.

It's a gut reaction, and I totally get it.

The phrase "AI interview" sounds cold. It sounds impersonal. It sounds like something that strips the human element out of hiring - which, for people who've built entire careers around human connection, feels like a threat.

So instead of debating him, I countered with a different question.

"How's your team doing?"

The Real Conversation

As CHRO, he's responsible for a massive recruiting organization. Solid, highly experienced people. High volume. Even higher expectations. But as we kept talking, I asked him - what does your team's day-to-day actually look like?

Here's what we found:

Out of an 8-hour workday, his recruiters were spending less than an hour actually talking to candidates

The rest? Updating spreadsheets, scheduling interviews, resending forms, following up on assessments, reviewing resumes, chasing background info, posting jobs

Meanwhile, their time to fill is averaging 78 days.

Hiring managers are frustrated.

Candidates are disengaged and ghosting constantly.

And recruiters are burning out

That's when I said, "I hear you on the AI hesitation. But what you're describing isn't really a human-first experience either."

What Are We Protecting, Really?

We talk about "keeping the human touch," but in reality, the human touch is buried under hours of admin work.

That one-hour window where someone actually connects with a candidate? That's what should be the whole job.

But instead, recruiters are acting like admin assistants, data entry specialists, and schedulers. Not relationship-builders.

So I walked him through what Anna AI does.

This Is What Anna AI Actually Does

Anna AI is a digital recruiter. She has real, structured phone conversations with candidates - asking about their experience, fit, and goals. She screens them consistently and fairly. She follows up if they don't respond. She sends reminders about assessments. She helps collect background info and credentials. She can even screen walk-ins during hiring events.

She doesn't replace your recruiter. She gives them their job back.

With Anna in place, your team doesn't have to spend hours chasing people or digging through spreadsheets. Instead, they can focus on coaching candidates, building hiring manager relationships, and making strategic decisions.

And that 78-day time to fill? The companies using Anna are seeing numbers way lower than that - because candidates don't sit in limbo waiting for a call that never comes.

Back to the "I Would Never"

We ended our conversation on a very different note.

"Okay," he said. "If that's what you mean by AI interviewing... I think I get it now. I wouldn't mind that experience. Actually, I think I'd prefer it."

He just needed the whole picture.

Not a robot. Not a voice assistant reading from a script. But a tool that makes the hiring process better - for candidates, for recruiters, for everyone.

And honestly? If you told me two years ago I'd be out here advocating for an AI recruiter, I probably would've said the same thing he did.

But once you see what's possible - and how much better things can run - it stops feeling like a replacement.

It starts feeling like relief.