RecTalk at RecFest: AI, Application Floods & the Future of Talent Acquisition with Oleeo

Nitin Sharma speaks with Charles Hipps, founder and CEO of Oleeo, Lorna Allison from Police Scotland, and Richard Burgess-Kelly from Sopra Steria at RecFest UK 2026 to explore how organisations can use AI to manage surging application volumes without compromising quality, fairness or human connection. The conversation addresses practical challenges facing talent acquisition teams today, including recruiter concerns about AI adoption, rising candidate applications driven by AI-assisted CV writing, and the need to maintain authenticity in the hiring process.

The group discusses AI-driven screening tools, compliance and bias mitigation, and the importance of human-in-the-loop decision making. Lorna shares Police Scotland's measured approach to AI adoption, starting with AI chatbots to handle routine enquiries whilst building organisational confidence. Richard explores the realities of implementing recruitment technology across government and defence sectors. Charles outlines how Oleeo helps organisations find quality candidates within large application volumes through intelligent automation.

A central theme emerges: successful AI adoption requires managing change and building people confidence alongside implementing technology. The speakers emphasise the importance of transparency with candidates about acceptable AI use, maintaining fairness, and ensuring human judgement remains central to recruitment decisions.