The world of HR is changing. Thank goodness the days of calendars, forms and endless manual sorting of resumes are behind us. Rather, we’re heading into this new reality of interactive, where AI is going to be the game-changer. All that data, the flood of responses and the pressure to fill posts in a hurry are making HR a real grind.
In a single Gartner report, 82% of HR leaders are planning to use agentic AI over the next year. And these aren’t chatbots your grandma might use on her smartphone. These are machines that learn, think and behave. Gartner predicts by 2030, agentic AI will complete half of all HR activities.
And here’s where it gets even more interesting: it’s not just big HR platforms that are noticing this change. Tools like Sigma Browser Agent give some of that power straight to the recruiter or manager.
When Recruiters Get Digital Co-Pilots
These days, HR teams are swamped with candidates and admin. But AI isn’t just an extra tool anymore, but a proper amplifier.
Increasing adoption of AI agents
- A recent study by Salesforce found that in the next two years, the use of agentic AI will grow by 327%, and employee productivity could jump by 30%.
- A PwC survey found that 79% of top managers are already using AI agents, with two-thirds seeing real benefits from it.
- Compound this with Ernst & Young’s April 2025 poll: 48% of tech CEOs are implementing such solutions on a large scale – and the investment is only growing.
The facts add up to one thing: AI agents have already moved beyond the hype stage and are becoming a mass practice.
Strategic value beyond automation
The Harvard Business Review notes that the idea of a skilled employee is changing because of digital labour. Autonomous agents are taking on tasks that were once thought of as being only for people. Mercer observes that AI agents are not just assistants, but partners who know how to plan, execute and optimize work. Everest Group asserts that such agents help HR leaders build agile and smart processes.
These findings show a change in how we see AI, moving from seeing it as a help-bot to embracing it as a partner that works with us to make the most of HR potential.
Traditional HR bots aren’t enough
Yes, it’s clear that things are moving forward. But a lot of companies are still using old-fashioned solutions like chatbots, template automation and RPA. It’s all a bit of a mess really.
Automation that’s easy to break at the surface level
These systems are linked to specific situations: “If X, then Y” – that’s how it works. But, as we all know, HR isn’t always straightforward. Chatbots are great at filtering CVs and answering standard questions, but they’re not so good at picking up on more creative or open-ended ones.
It’s just not very adaptable or aware of context
They’re not great at making decisions, learning from mistakes, or reacting to change. But agentic AI can act in real time, adjust plans and conduct complex processes autonomously.
The scope is limited and the autonomy is low
Basically, scripting systems only do what they’re designed to do. AI agents can think, plan and achieve goals in different situations.
HR needs to be able to take action based on the situation
Every aspect of HR is complex, with company policy, unique candidate data and shifting priorities to consider. Legacy tools automate parts of the process, while AI agents understand what’s needed, take the lead on everything from sourcing to onboarding, and adjust as they go.
What Happens When Recruiting Runs in Your Sidebar
Picture this: an HR pro who’s on the hunt for marketers in San Francisco with at least three years of experience under their belt. Usually, it’s hours of manual searching on LinkedIn.
With Sigma Browser Agent, it’s a whole different ball game. You just enter a query in the sidebar and the agent goes to LinkedIn, applies filters, checks profiles and gives you a ready list of candidates with links and key skills.
Minutes instead of hours – and the result is ready:
- You type your command directly into the sidebar: “Find five marketing professionals in San Francisco with three or more years experience on LinkedIn.”
- Sigma Agent springs into action:
- It goes to LinkedIn automatically.
- It applies the search criteria and scans profiles for credentials.
- It shortlists candidates who meet your requirements.
- The result is delivered within minutes, rather than hours of tedium, and includes the names of candidates, URLs of their profiles and highlighted skills.
Chatbots and filters can give you a heads-up. But Sigma’s got your back: it’ll get the job done, no matter how complex or multi-step, right in your browser. That’s what agentic AI is all about: systems that sense, plan, act and learn.
If you do a manual search on LinkedIn, it’ll take you 15 minutes per candidate. Sigma can do it in 30 seconds. It remembers what you like, adjusts the results to you, and gets more and more accurate over time. It’s not just about automation anymore, it’s about having a digital colleague that’s tailored to you.
HR professionals can focus on the most important things, like building relationships, doing in-depth interviews, developing the employer brand and making sure the candidate experience is good.
HR, but Smarter
AI workers aren’t just machines anymore, they’re our colleagues. They’re like independent actors, doing the boring stuff so that humans can focus on the more interesting tasks. By the end of 2025, almost 30% of organisations will have digital employees
Human resources will have to rethink the fundamentals: how to plan the workforce, how to design roles, how to measure performance. Individuals trust AI more when they understand it. Veteran users exhibit 95% trust, compared to 36% for new users. This highlights the importance of education, effective communication, and thoughtful design.
We’re not heading towards a world where humans become redundant, but a world where humans and AI can create value together. AI takes care of the routine, and HR can focus on culture, leadership and emotional intelligence. All of this needs transparent rules, ethics and training programmes. If your organisation adopts agentic processes today, you’ll be ahead of the game when it comes to speed, flexibility and talent acquisition in the future.