How KPMG Saved 1,000 Hours in the Hiring Process with One AI Bot

What if we told you your next recruiter might not have a LinkedIn profile… or even a pulse? Nope, it’s not a Black Mirror rerun. It’s KPMG’s latest AI power move, and spoiler alert, it’s already saving serious time and transforming the HR hustle. Meet Kai, the custom-built conversational AI assistant developed in partnership with Paradox. In just one year, this savvy little bot helped cut interview scheduling time by a whopping 58%, freeing up over 1,000 hours for KPMG’s talent acquisition team. But this ain’t just another chatbot story. It’s a peek into what the future of work might feel like.

From Calendar Chaos to Clockwork

Let’s be real, scheduling interviews is the corporate version of Tetris meets Groundhog Day. Between juggling time zones, team availability, and that one hiring manager who’s forever “TBD,” it’s a certified headache. KPMG saw the madness and said, “Yeah, let’s automate that.” That’s where Kai stepped in, acting like a caffeinated recruiter’s assistant who never needs sleep. Built by Paradox, Kai now handles:

• Interview scheduling (in just 25 minutes flat)
• FAQs about the hiring process, benefits, and hours
• After-hours support—yep, Kai keeps it 24/7
• Smart job recommendations based on a candidate’s location, skills, and preferences

Oh, and Kai has fielded more than 23,000 questions in its first year, with a spicy 33% of them after 5 p.m. That’s more than just convenience; it’s empathy at scale.

Time is the Real MVP

Sandy Torchia, KPMG’s Vice Chair of Talent and Culture, had two big goals when she championed this AI move:

• Give job candidates on-demand access, even on weekends or after work.
• Free up HR pros to focus on the good stuff, you know, the actual people part of People Operations.

“It’s not only giving [the team] back hours,” she told Fortune, “but it’s increasing job satisfaction because they’re able to reduce the time it takes to complete an administrative task that isn’t super rewarding and focus on something else.” The takeaway? Less admin. More strategy. And a whole lot less burnout.

Smart Bots, Smarter Recruiters

Here’s what separates Kai from your average automation tool: it never logs off. Whether it’s a student applying after midnight or a parent looking for a job between diaper changes, Kai is ready to chat. That constant availability isn’t just a productivity boost, it’s a competitive edge. According to Paradox CEO Adam Godson, the secret to AI success isn’t replacing everything, it’s “picking the spots where automation makes sense.” In KPMG’s case? Kai nailed that sweet spot.

But let’s not panic, human recruiters aren’t going anywhere. Kai may handle the grunt work, but when it comes to screening candidates, gauging soft skills, and bringing the human touch? That’s still a people-powered game. Sandy Torchia, KPMG’s Vice Chair of Talent and Culture, put it best: “It’s still super important to have a human in the loop… you’re not going to experience our culture until you talk to someone.”

The Next Big Brainwave

Just when you thought Kai was the endgame, The Big Four giant dropped another curveball: Agentic AI. This next-level tech doesn’t just respond, it acts. Think Siri… if Siri could file reports, manage projects, and deliver insights like a boss. David Rowlands, KPMG’s Global Head of AI, says these agents could soon:

• Make decisions without prompts
• Execute complex tasks across audit, tax, and advisory
• Operate across time zones, nonstop

In fact, according to KPMG’s own AI Quarterly Pulse Survey, over 50% of organizations are actively exploring AI agents to boost productivity and streamline workflows. Sounds wild? It is. But this isn’t sci-fi. This is in the works right now.

KPMG’s not the only one cashing in on AI momentum:

• PwC is using internal agents to handle client interactions.
• Meta claims its AI performs at a mid-level software engineer’s skill level.
• IBM projects up to 30% of HR roles could be automated in the next 5 years.

That’s not just trend-chasing, that’s a full-blown talent transformation. The real winners? Firms that find the sweet spot between efficiency and empathy. Automate the grunt work, and humanize the meaningful work.

Bots Don’t Steal Jobs

Kai isn’t here to replace recruiters. It’s here to relieve them. To give job seekers quick answers. To give HR folks their time, and maybe their sanity, back. And with Agentic AI on the horizon, we’re talking about a future where your most productive coworker doesn’t take coffee breaks and still sends thank-you notes (programmatically, of course). The future of hiring? It’s not human vs. AI. It’s human with AI. And honestly? That sounds like the kind of tag team every workplace needs. Subscribe now for sharp insights, in-depth breakdowns, and everything you need to stay ahead in the world of accounting, crypto, and corporate finance.