SEEK executive discusses responsible AI at talent summit

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 20 March 2026 - Grant Wright, Group Executive, Artificial Intelligence at SEEK, the parent company of Jobsdb, spoke at the "Global Talent Summit Week - Hong Kong's International Talent Forum" on 18 March 2026, organised by the Labour and Welfare Bureau and Hong Kong Talent Engage. At the panel titled "Thriving in a dynamic talent landscape – Sustaining skills and fostering resilience", Wright addressed the challenge of increasing noise in the recruitment market and outlined how SEEK is leveraging its responsible AI framework and automated verification tools to help employers identify authentic talent signals.

Building trust with Responsible AI and verification

At the forum, Wright described the current global talent landscape as increasingly noisy with the rise of AI agents and the use of large language models in the recruitment process making it harder to assess candidates fit and motivation without the right tools.

"In a world where AI allows every candidate to put their best foot forward, traditional signals like the CV and cover letter tell us less than they used to," said Wright. "Simply applying for a role is no longer necessarily a signal of motivation or suitability. In this noisier AI environment, marketplaces play a critical role to connect interested and high-fit candidates and hirers faster, and to add more trust to the process.

SEEK established a dedicated Responsible AI team in 2017 to address fairness and bias in AI-driven matching. Wright outlined the company's core principles for ensuring technology empowers rather than excludes.

"AI makes predictions, which means by definition it can be wrong. We must consider the impact of those predictions on individuals," Wright added.

"Humans can be biased in recruitment, and we need to recognise that exists in the system and in the data we train on. Our responsible AI team and processes aim to ensure AI improves outcomes for everyone and creates opportunity."

SEEK has invested in AI to improve customer experiences for over a decade, building one of Asia Pacific's most established AI teams. Beyond making job hunting and hiring simpler, SEEK is focused on using AI to add trust and efficiency into our marketplace. This proprietary technology powers every stage of the hiring process:

• Enhanced targeting for high-fit candidates: SEEK identifies which candidates are a high fit for a role. This allows us to predict a candidate's likelihood of being shortlisted for any given job ad. High-fit candidates are three times more likely to be shortlisted.
• Enhanced Efficiency and Search Experience: Features like AI-assisted ad writing help employers create compelling job descriptions, while AI-powered analytics provide real-time insights to optimise ad performance. At the same time, candidates can use natural, everyday language to describe what they're looking for, and personalised search models match them to the most relevant roles.
• Responsible AI and Trust: SEEK's dedicated Responsible AI framework focuses on fairness, transparency and bias mitigation in AI‑driven matching. To combat market friction and build confidence, SEEK has also introduced automated verified credentials, reducing verification times from days to seconds, increasing hirer trust in the integrity of matches and helping candidates stand out.
• Voice AI Refence Checks: SEEK also leverages natural language AI to transform the reference checking experience. SEEK's voice AI assistant allows referees to complete checks through natural conversation with SEEK's Voice AI service. This cuts completion time for hirers in half, from 24 to 12 minutes, while capturing more data than traditional reference checking methods.

When asked about his vision for Hong Kong's workforce over the next five years, Wright highlighted that while Hong Kong has always been exceptional at attracting talent, the automation of entry-level tasks could pose a risk to traditional learning curves.

"I would like to see Hong Kong focus on the development problem for the future workforce," said Wright. "If you take away entry-level jobs, you remove the safe space for newcomers to 'fail fast' and learn how an organisation works. That would be a real challenge, and I hope to see Hong Kong find a solution to bridge this gap for the betterment of organisations and future talent."

Celebrating excellence in HR

The dialogue on the future of work continued later that day as Jobsdb celebrated industry excellence at 'The Hong Kong HR Awards 2025/26'. With the theme 'Empowering Talent and Technology Towards Tomorrow', the awards recognised 70 companies, for their excellence in talent acquisition and management strategies. The ceremony was attended by approximately 450 guests, witnessing the industry's achievements in integrating technology with talent development.

Bill Lee, Managing Director, Hong Kong, Jobsdb by SEEK, stated, "Now in its fifth year, The Hong Kong HR Awards are once again dedicated to celebrating the exceptional organisations and visionary individuals who are reshaping the future of people strategy in Hong Kong. This year's winners demonstrate how forward‑thinking employers are transforming talent attraction, development and engagement through the smart use of data and technology. We are also proud to introduce the inaugural SEEK APAC Employer of the Year Award, recognising excellence across our Asia markets plus Chinese Mainland and reinforcing Hong Kong's role as a hub for talent in Asia Pacific. At Jobsdb, we are committed to providing the tools and insights to help the local workforce navigate this transformation and unlock new possibilities for growth."

For the full list of winners and more details, please visit:
https://hk.employer.seek.com/page/the-hong-kong-hr-awards-2025-26-winners

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For more information, visit www.jobsdb.com.