The question isn’t whether to use AI. It’s how to use it without losing the human signal that great hiring depends on.

Here’s where we land.

🧠 Use AI, don’t obey it

Greenhouse CEO Daniel Chait recently issued a blunt warning: hiring is stuck in an “AI doom loop.” Candidates use AI to game the system; resumes, portfolios, take-homes. Employers respond by adding more automation. The loop feeds itself. Nobody wins.

In a recent survey of 2,200 candidates, Greenhouse found 67% use AI to improve their chances, 45% embellish resumes, and nearly 1 in 4 fabricate work samples. It’s a race to out-fake each other, where the winners aren’t always the most qualified, but the most polished.

As the founder of Vouch – yes, an AI-native hiring system – I agree with Chait. We saw similar findings in a recent, smaller survey of candidates. But I’d reframe the conclusion: the solution isn’t less AI. It’s better use of AI.

The doom loop exists because too many teams use AI as a shield designed to deflect volume, instead of a lens to understand people more clearly.

When resume parsing is treated as a filter, and keyword scoring replaces context – it invites gaming. Candidates adapt. Signal degrades. The problem isn’t AI. It’s how narrowly we’ve used it. What’s missing is context, transparency, and better judgment.

That’s why Vouch was built around a different principle: AI should assist all the way, but don't replace human judgment.

We don’t screen out people because a bot doesn’t find a match. We use AI todefine what you’re hiring for more clearly, surface relevant context on candidates faster, and automate logistics that slow teams down. The human steps – interviews, synthesis, final judgment – are preserved, even enhanced.

What we’ve learned from early customers:

• When you replace resume filters with contextual review, signal improves.
• When you make sourcing smarter, not noisier, outreach conversion jumps.
• And when you pair AI insight with human conversations, confidence in decisions actually goes up.

The real irony? Most legacy hiring tools were built to enforce process, not empower judgment. But great hiring isn’t about checking boxes. It’s about spotting patterns, surfacing potential, and acting with clarity. That’s where AI should help. Not get in the way.

So yes, the doom loop is real. But the answer isn’t retreat. It’s reset.

Founders and recruiters, here’s your edge:

• Build processes that use AI to accelerate, not obfuscate.
• Insist on human touchpoints where it matters: in judgment, in interviews, in alignment.
• And stop optimising for volume. Hire for fit, fast, but don’t delegate it to a prompt.

Great hiring is still a human design problem. AI can, and should, support it – but only if you know when to step in, not step back.

🔍 Signal of the Week

• Greenhouse sounds the alarm. In July, Greenhouse CEO Daniel Chait called out a troubling pattern: candidates are increasingly using AI to embellish resumes (45%), generate fake work (28%), and optimise every step of the process. The result? A hiring doom loop. More AI leads to more gaming, which leads to more filters, which leads to even more candidate distrust.
• Vouch research confirms. Our internal research shows 80% of job seekers now use AI in their search. The top use is keyword optimisation and tailoring materials to beat the filters; not to express themselves.

Why it matters: When automation becomes a gatekeeper, candidates optimize to get through the gates. Not to show who they really are.

✍️ What We're Seeing

In our recent candidate interviews, 80% said they use AI. Some to research the companies they apply to, but most use it to tailor resumes and match keywords. But not to tell their story.

“I use AI to make sure my CV hits the keywords. It’s the only way to get past the first filter.”

It’s not that candidates prefer automation. It’s that the process demands it. When the system favors polish over signal, people adapt. But it doesn’t mean they feel seen.

That’s the opportunity: to use AI differently. Not to filter faster, but to listen better.

🔮 The hiring shift

How to break the AI doom loop—without breaking trust:

✅ Use AI for context, not conclusions: AI shouldn’t decide who gets through. It should help youunderstandwho’s worth a closer look, ask for clarifications and guide you through.

✅ Anchor decisions in real signal: Not just job titles and credentials, but structured conversations, working sessions, and written tasks that show how someone thinks.

✅ Flip your filters: Don’t just weed out. Design your process tosurface in.Make space for depth, for edge cases, for non-obvious strength.

That’s at least the kind of system we’re building at Vouch to guide you through it.

About Vouch – your hiring assistant

Vouch is your AI-native hiring assistant. Imagine a recruitment system that actually understands your company, your roles, and your candidates – not just tracks them. We help modern teams scope roles, find better candidates, and make faster, smarter hiring decisions. Everything you'd expect from an ATS is included, but the real value is inhow it’s used. Learn more here.