Several recent articles of note (Including this one from CNBC: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/11/how-deepfake-ai-job-applicants-are-stealing-remote-work.html) have shed light on the increase of AI-generated job applications flooding the inboxes of corporate recruiters.* As the article points out, almost 20% of in-house recruiters reported receiving false applications. Tho many of these applicants get tagged and tossed out, it turns out that many of them are actually people looking for work. The company “hires” an AI-generated applicant to perform remote work. Seems AI is capable of inducing real stupidity in human response! While on the surface this seems hard to believe, as the AI industry gathers more and more computing power, how will you know if your applicant is real or a deep fake?
A trusted vendor recently proposed a series of AI-generated videos to support my marketing efforts. The vendor sent several example clips that were amazingly “real,” tho no human actors played parts and no director oversaw the moviemaking. It was just a concept put into an AI film machine, and voila! out comes a high-quality video. I guess I am old school because it all seemed a bit macabre. While the visuals were compelling, the overall feeling I had watching these clips was that they lacked authenticity. If there is anything I would like to make clear in my messaging to clients and candidates, it is that the work I perform is authentic!
How deep the fake?
We have all read about or possibly recognized AI-generated deep fakes in political campaigns. Generally created by bad actors, they create content that paints the opponent in an unflattering light, not becoming of a public figure. These deep fakes are not easy to spot, especially on a social media platform where you might be just glancing at the screen. Many of us have used online tools to create AI-generated headshots for our social media presence. But what if this trend goes to a whole other level? Could a company be duped into hiring a meme or deepfake executive?
Joe Meyer, CEO of ExecThread, a crowdsourced executive job board, just wrote about the increase in Return to Office (RTO) policies and how they may not be effective: execthread.com/view-email/23348a77f6bf86b9921f8c2ff0efcb2d1e92dc1f80c29e0bd5e0b2f652152c9d. He recently posted on www.execthread.com a listing of over 1,500 fully remote executive openings. Remote execs could be hired sight unseen or unmet—an unnerving prospect given the deepfake abilities of AI.
There is a lot of talk about what jobs will be replaced by AI. There is no doubt that all jobs will be affected. AI is certainly being used every day to perform rote tasks that humans once performed. Indeed, in my own CFO and Director search practice, I use a very powerful AI tool (qlu.ai) to help run my searches in the most efficient way possible for my clients. I will not be left behind or be an AI luddite. That said, I think the need for authenticity in the search process is paramount for companies to ensure they are hiring the right executives.
Fake vs. face-to-face
In practice, this means the need to meet candidates face-to-face, not over Zoom, will return as the norm. Now is the time to no longer rely on what we see on the computer or phone as 100% real. This is why we meet our clients and candidates in person, even in a hyper-remote work environment. It is the only way to ensure the executive being considered is going to be qualified and a fit for the organization.
I am coining this old-now-new-again process “Authentic Intelligence.” It is what is needed for executive search today. It is what my clients are counting on me to provide. Authentic Intelligence is not created overnight; it is years in the making and is an invaluable tool clients can depend on for a successful process and ultimately a value-creating hire.
What is your take on this subject? Would love to hear your thoughts; feel free to reach out at: moc.srentrapdlonra@divad.
*IMHO, a corporate “Recruiter” is not a recruiter in the true sense of the word. Responding to inbound applications is not recruiting. Recruiting is reaching out to passive potential candidates and being able to share a compelling story as to why they should consider making a change to a new company. People who screen inbound applicants do not need to convince someone of interest; they have already expressed that by filling out an application.