Who's responsible when AI gets a hiring decision wrong? Two occupational psychologists unpack how to use AI in assessment fairly, safely and defensibly.

In this episode of the Talent Download podcast, Amberjack CEO Darren Lancaster is joined by Fran Cousans (R&D Lead, Amberjack) and Kate Young (Founder, The Hiring Science Studio) to explore what responsible AI in recruitment really looks like, and why humans remain accountable for every decision.

You'll learn:

• Why "AI shouldn't make the hiring decision" is too simple an answer for high-volume recruitment
• The hidden biases in AI scoring, from favouring AI-written answers to rewarding long-winded ones
• What makes an AI assessment rigorous, robust and defensible
• The three questions every employer should ask an AI vendor
• Who is legally accountable under UK law when an AI hiring tool goes wrong
• What effective human-in-the-loop oversight looks like in practice
• Where AI in hiring is heading next, and why human skills matter more than ever

Whether you work in HR, talent acquisition, early careers or assessment, this conversation will help you adopt AI in hiring with confidence.

ABOUT AMBERJACK
Amberjack creates early careers and volume experienced hire solutions, spanning attraction, technology, assessment, RPO, and learning and development.
https://www.weareamberjack.com/

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#AIinHiring #TalentAcquisition #ResponsibleAI

How do you build an early careers strategy that keeps pace with a changing world - and gives your future workforce the best possible start?

In this episode of the Amberjack podcast, our CEO, Darren Lancaster, sits down with Rachel Hollinger from ScottishPower to explore how they're developing the talent needed to power the future. 🌱

With the energy sector facing a growing skills gap and the transition to net zero gathering pace, early careers has never been more important.

🎙️ Here’s what they get into:

🚀 Building tomorrow’s workforce – Why businesses can’t always hire the skills they need and why investing in emerging talent matters.

💬 Putting people before pipeline numbers – Creating a candidate experience that feels human, with clear communication and meaningful engagement.

📉 Turning insight into impact – How ScottishPower reduced its assessment centre no-show rate from 26% to just 7%.

🤝 Getting onboarding right – Building connections before day one to help new starters feel prepared, supported and part of the team.

📈 Scaling early careers – Growing programmes while keeping candidate support and development at the heart of the experience.

💡 Making the business case – Getting senior buy-in and using data to build an early careers strategy that delivers for both people and the organisation.

Whether you're looking to improve candidate experience, strengthen retention or future-proof your workforce, this is a conversation packed with insights to take away.

▶️ Watch now and discover how investing in people today can help shape the workforce of tomorrow.

Host Darren Lancaster is joined by Sandy Chow, Chartered FCIPD, for a conversation on career agility, organisational design and the role AI is playing in reshaping work.

Together, they explore:

✨ Why change is becoming the only constant in work

✨ The skills early talent need to thrive in an AI-enabled future

✨ Why commercial awareness, communication and learning agility matter more than ever

✨ How organisations should be thinking about hiring and developing talent differently

One thought that really stood out to us:

💭"10 or 15 years ago, there were no jobs in social media, content creation or influencing. Look where we are now." 💭

Check out this episode in full now!

In this episode of Talent Download, host Darren Lancaster is joined by Rob Davies, Head of Recruitment at Grant Thornton UK, to talk about what happens when AI gets good enough to fake its way through a hiring process. Rob shares the moment a synthetic avatar sat Grant Thornton's digital interview and scored in the 99th percentile, and how that single wake-up call led to a rebuilt AI skills assessment developed in partnership with Amberjack. The conversation moves from the risks of AI-assisted applications to the human skills, communication, curiosity, creativity and courage, that Grant Thornton now looks for beyond the CV.

Key Moments:
00:00 Welcome to Talent Download, introducing Rob Davies, Head of Recruitment at Grant Thornton

06:30 The watershed moment: an AI avatar sits the digital interview and scores in the 99th percentile

09:00 Why Grant Thornton partnered with Amberjack to build an AI assessment tool from scratch

19:30 The five human skills Grant Thornton hires for: communication, curiosity, creativity and courage

39:00 Rapid-fire round: gut vs data, potential vs experience, and “the CV will still be here in five years”

HOST
Darren Lancaster: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenjlancaster/
Amberjack: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amberjack-global/

GUEST
Rob Davies: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-davies-26371423/
Grant Thornton: https://www.grantthornton.co.uk/


This episode is brought to you by Amberjack, proud sponsor of Talent Download.
Amberjack partners with organisations to build fair, effective assessment for early
careers and volume hiring.
https://www.weareamberjack.com/

Produced by Vertical Drop: https://www.vertical-drop.com

In this episode of Talent Download, host Darren Lancaster sits down with Sam Hyams, CEO of Springpod, to unpack the evolving landscape of Gen Z careers, early talent attraction, and the role of AI in recruitment.

Drawing from their joint annual Gen Z Report, Darren and Sam discuss the growing career stress among young people, why two-thirds of students leave school without work experience, and how virtual career simulations are democratising access to top employers. They also explore practical ways employers can tackle application inflation, prepare candidates for AI in the workplace, and bridge the gap for underrepresented groups like young carers.

Key Moments:

00:00 Intro & Welcome

01:22 The Origin of Springpod

03:32 Virtual Work Experience & Scaling Access

12:48 Gen Z Career Stress & Cost of Living

18:22 AI Skills, Business Context & Early Talent

22:36 Supporting Young Carers & Disadvantaged Students

32:30 Tackling Application Inflation & Candidate Friction

40:17 Quick Fire Round: Gen Z Myths & The Future of Early Careers

Darren Lancaster (CEO, Amberjack) interviews Spencer Hurley (Spire Healthcare) about how talent acquisition has evolved from process-driven recruitment to a strategic function spanning assessment, workforce planning, employer branding, data and insight. Spencer outlines his career from agency to in-house roles (including Lloyd’s, ACE/Chubb, Nationwide, and DWF), describing building recruitment “hygiene” like ATS and supplier lists, and leading major change at Nationwide during a tech insourcing programme. He explains applying agile-style “swarming” to cut software engineering time-to-hire from 6–7 weeks to under five days by contracting with hiring managers, pre-planning interviews, and rapid iteration. They discuss skills-based hiring as a promising idea that’s hard to implement, arguing attitudes and soft skills matter most and hiring-manager biases persist. Both frame AI as a tool with uneven adoption, raising implications for assessment, education, recruiter tasks, and the need to invest in analytics to drive insight and D&I change.

00:00 AI Hype Reality Check
00:33 Podcast Welcome Guests
01:27 Spencer Career Origins
02:07 What Talent Acquisition Means
04:10 Agency To In House Shift
06:06 Economic Shocks Reshape Hiring
07:27 Building TA At Lloyds
09:31 Scaling Up Across Europe
10:49 Nationwide Transformation Years
16:43 Agile Recruiting Five Day Hire
18:15 Holding Hiring Managers Accountable
22:44 Skills Based Hiring Debate
27:27 Task Based Work With AI
29:21 AI Adoption Data Snapshot
29:52 AI Hype Versus Reality
31:01 Skills Barriers In Regulated Work
31:37 Corporate Blocks And Cheating Debate
32:59 Education Not Ready For Tools
34:06 Assessing AI Use In Hiring
36:26 Future Proof Careers Linchpin Mindset
38:16 DWF Transformation And RPO Reset
41:41 Recruiters Automation And Human Touch
46:12 TA Best Practices Data Analyst Hire
49:32 Advice And Quickfire Wrap Up

In this episode of Talent Download, host Darren Lancaster sits down with Clare Power and Katryna Smyth from Police Now to explore the complexities of recruiting for a public service mission.

Celebrating a "Decade of Transformation," the team discusses how they have recruited over 3,000 diverse graduates into policing roles that many never previously considered - from neighborhood officers to specialists in counter-terrorism and economic crime. The conversation dives deep into demystifying policing myths, managing the trust gap in marginalized communities, and why Police Now takes the unusual step of closing applications early to remain "responsible recruiters".

Episode Timestamps:

• [00:00:00] Intro & Welcome: Darren introduces Clare and Katryna and the mission of Police Now.
• [00:01:22] Who is Police Now?: A look at the government-funded charity transforming communities through diverse talent.
• [00:04:00] Demystifying the Role: Moving beyond "blue lights and fast cars" to show the real impact of neighborhood policing.
• [00:13:00] Addressing the Trust Gap: How to attract talent from communities where confidence in policing is historically low.
• [00:24:00] Selection & Parity: Using data to ensure a fair and equitable journey for every candidate.
• [00:28:00] Responsible Recruitment: Why more applications aren't always better and the ethics of graduate time.
• [00:34:00] A Decade of Transformation: Reflecting on 10 years of saving lives and delivering justice.
• [00:43:00] The Future of Policing: New specialisms in Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and fast-track leadership programs.
• [00:56:00] Quick Fire Round: Rapid-fire takes on resilience, ambition, and the "stale pale male" myth.

In this episode of Talent Download, host Darren Lancaster is joined by Sharon Wilson, a leading expert in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), to discuss the intersection of inclusive design and high-volume recruitment.

Sharon shares her "Next Practice" philosophy: that designing recruitment processes for the 20% of neurodivergent or marginalized candidates ultimately creates a better experience for the entire 100%. The conversation explores the ethical implementation of AI, why "neurodiversity is a superpower," and how to maintain a human-centric approach when hiring at scale.

Episode Timestamps:


[00:00:00] Intro & Welcome: Darren introduces Sharon Wilson and her impact on the DEI landscape.


[00:04:15] Designing for the 20%: Why inclusive design is the key to unlocking potential for all candidates.


[00:12:30] Neurodiversity in the Workplace: Exploring the unique strengths neurodivergent talent brings to an organization.


[00:22:45] AI and the Moral Compass: Why technology requires human oversight to ensure fairness and equity.


[00:35:10] High-Volume Inclusion: Balancing speed and scale with a personalized candidate experience.


[00:45:20] Quick Fire Section: Sharon shares her personal reflections on leadership and the best advice she has ever received.