The best AI tools for HR save time on screening, scheduling, reviews and employee questions without creating new legal risks. Check what each tool decides on its own, how it explains its suggestions and whether the vendor can show a bias audit. Nine tools follow in no particular order, plus steps for introducing AI into hiring safely.
HR teams are being sold AI for everything: writing job adverts, screening CVs, chatting to candidates, drafting performance reviews and answering employee questions. Some of it saves hours. Some of it makes decisions about people that you'll need to explain, and that's where the care comes in.
The nine tools below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, and most come from specialist HR technology companies. Each description comes from the tool's own website, re-checked today. If you're choosing a core HR system first, my guide to HR software for small businesses covers that.
AI HR tools compared
In the free plan column, Yes means the tool's own site describes a free plan or free start, Trial only means a time-limited trial and No means neither is stated. Most enterprise HR tools are sold after a demo rather than on a free plan.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effy AI | Performance review software | Small teams starting reviews | Yes |
| HireVue | Video interview platform | High-volume video interviews | No |
| Humanly | AI recruiting assistant | Screening and scheduling at volume | No |
| Leena AI | Employee helpdesk | Answering employee questions | No |
| Paradox | Conversational hiring | Applications and booking by text | No |
| Peoplebox | Performance and OKR platform | Goals and reviews in Slack or Teams | No |
| SeekOut | AI sourcing platform | Finding hard-to-reach candidates | Yes |
| Teamtailor | ATS and careers site | Employer brand and careers pages | No |
| Textio | AI writing for HR | Fairer job ads and feedback | Trial only |
Nine AI tools for HR teams
Effy AI
Best for: Small teams who want AI-written performance review drafts and 360 feedback without a big HR system.
HireVue
Best for: Recruiting teams running high-volume video interviews and skills assessments across many roles and locations at once.
Humanly
Best for: Employers hiring at high volume who want candidate screening and interview scheduling handled automatically, with recruiters stepping in later.
Leena AI
Best for: HR teams buried in policy questions who want an AI assistant to answer employees and raise tickets.
Paradox
Best for: Busy employers who want candidates to apply, answer questions and book interviews by text message instead of long forms.
Peoplebox
Best for: Growing companies who want goals, reviews and engagement surveys run inside Slack or Teams.
SeekOut
Best for: Recruiters sourcing specialist or diverse candidates who want AI search across public profiles and their own database.
Teamtailor
Best for: Growing companies who want an applicant tracker with an attractive careers site and AI help on job ads.
Textio
Best for: HR teams who want job ads and performance feedback checked for biased or off-putting language.
New York City's bias audit rule for hiring tools
If you hire anyone in New York City, there's a law aimed squarely at these tools. The city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection says Local Law 144 bars employers and employment agencies from using an automated employment decision tool unless it's had a bias audit within one year of use, the audit information is publicly available, and notices have been given to employees or candidates.
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What that means for you: before you switch on AI screening or ranking for New York roles, ask the vendor for its latest bias audit and plan how you'll notify candidates. It's a good habit wherever you hire.
Hiring tools, people tools and employee helpdesks
Hiring tools write job adverts, source candidates, screen applications and schedule interviews, which is where the biggest time savings and the biggest legal questions sit. People tools help with performance reviews, goals and feedback, drafting text a manager then edits. Employee helpdesks answer policy questions and raise tickets, so HR spends less time on the same queries.
Start where the risk is lowest and the time saved is highest, which is usually writing and answering questions rather than deciding who gets hired. A helpdesk that answers holiday and expenses questions, for example, frees your team without touching anyone's career, and it's easy to measure whether it's working.
Introducing AI into hiring safely
- List every step where a tool would score, rank or reject people.
- Ask each vendor for its bias audit and how it tests for unfair results.
- Keep a human decision at every stage that affects a candidate.
- Tell candidates when AI is used, and how to ask for an alternative.
- Check results by group after the first few months.
- Write down what the tool does and review it each year.
Using general AI in HR work
- Draft, don't decide. Use chat tools for first drafts of letters and policies, then edit.
- Recruiter prompts. My ChatGPT prompts for recruiters cover adverts, outreach and screening questions.
- Protect personal data. Never paste candidate or employee records into a tool your organisation hasn't approved.
- Train managers. A short guide on what AI can and can't be used for prevents most mistakes.
Do you make an AI tool for HR teams? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on choosing AI tools for HR
Begin with AI that helps your team write and answer, such as job adverts, review drafts and policy questions, because the gains are quick and the risks are small. Move to screening and ranking only when you can explain how the tool works and you've seen its audit.
Keep a person accountable for every hiring decision. AI can sort and suggest, but it's your organisation's name on the outcome, and in places like New York City the law already expects you to check.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best AI tools for HR?
It depends on the job: hiring, performance reviews or employee questions. The tools here cover all three.
Is it legal to use AI in hiring?
Usually, with care. New York City's Local Law 144 requires a bias audit within one year of using an automated employment decision tool, plus notices.
Can AI write job adverts?
Yes. Several tools draft adverts and flag biased or off-putting language for you to edit.
Should AI make hiring decisions?
It's safer to keep a human decision at every stage that affects a candidate, with AI sorting and suggesting.
Can AI help with performance reviews?
Some tools draft review text from goals and feedback, which managers then edit and personalise.
Do AI HR tools have free plans?
A few offer free plans or trials, but most enterprise tools are sold after a demo.
