GenAI in hiring creates an illusion of human control: recruiters think they're in charge, but AI systems silently reshape the data and criteria they use to make decisions, while adoption pressures and deskilling undermine their actual oversight capacity.
This study interviews 22 recruiting professionals to understand how they perceive their control and agency when using generative AI in hiring decisions. The research reveals that while recruiters believe they have final authority, AI systems invisibly shape the information foundation for decisions—from job descriptions to interview evaluations—often without recruiters realizing it.