KPMG in Singapore blends AI with human touch to revolutionise talent acquisition

“We positioned AI as an enabler to empower our recruiters to move up the ‘value chain’ and do work that cannot be done with AI now, such as work that requires human judgement and empathy. That’s what helped us gain leadership buy-in, by showing that AI doesn’t replace people, it empowers them to do meaningful work.” – Bryan Ong, Director of Talent Acquisition, KMPG

In an era where the competition for top talent has never been more intense, KPMG in Singapore is setting the benchmark for a modern, people-first approach to recruitment—one that blends the power of AI with the irreplaceable human touch.

Leading this transformation is Bryan Ong, Director of Talent Acquisition, who is driving innovation with a clear vision: to free recruiters from repetitive tasks and elevate their role as strategic talent advisors.

“Innovation is not just a buzzword—it’s a commitment,” Ong shared. “We invest in emerging technologies such as AI to empower our people to focus on strategic, value-added work.”

Starting with the problem, not the technology

KPMG’s move towards AI and recruitment automation was not about chasing trends—it was about solving a real problem: recruiters were overwhelmed by manual, repetitive tasks. Interview scheduling alone consumed a significant amount of time that could have been better spent engaging candidates and hiring managers.

“With tight timelines and hiring volumes, we needed a solution to free up our recruiters’ capacity without compromising on candidate experience,” Ong recalled.

KPMG’s approach to AI and automation

To address the challenge, KPMG partnered with Paradox to deploy conversational AI into its recruitment process. The result was Kiara, an AI recruitment assistant that could automatically engage with candidates, answer questions, and schedule interviews around the clock. Within just three months of implementation, the results were substantial: over 1,000 interviews were scheduled with minimal manual intervention, resulting in a 20% reduction in time-to-schedule and more than 50 man-days saved.

Kiara has also answered over 25,000 queries from job seekers via KPMG’s careers page. These efforts have helped boost candidate satisfaction to 88%, with a strong response rate of 30%. More importantly, automation has redefined the role of KPMG’s recruiters, as Ong continued, “AI has truly enabled us to ‘work smarter’ by shifting our focus from repetitive, transactional tasks to more strategic work such as shaping hiring strategies with hiring managers and leaders, sourcing for niche and hard-to-find skills and designing more personalised candidate journeys.”

“Successful automation isn’t about replacing everything—it’s about identifying the friction points and solving for those first,” said Zhenlin Ong, Client Success Director, Asia-Pacific, at Paradox. “KPMG wasn’t looking for just a tool—they wanted a partner to help reimagine how their team could work smarter. By focusing on targeted pain points like interview scheduling and candidate engagement, we were able to co-design a solution that delivered meaningful impact.”

Introducing AI to recruitment represents more than a technical shift—it signifies a profound cultural transformation. Ong highlighted the importance of internal buy-in and transparent change management in successfully integrating automation, and elaborated, “We had to build a strong business case around time and cost savings, efficiency, and enhancing the candidate experience.”

“But more importantly, we positioned AI as an enabler to empower our recruiters to move up the ‘value chain’ and do work that cannot be done with AI now, such as work that requires human judgment and empathy. That’s what helped us gain leadership buy-in, by showing that AI doesn’t replace people, it empowers them to do meaningful work.”

From workshops and training sessions to internal marketing and FAQs guides, KPMG took deliberate steps to build awareness and excitement across the organisation. “One key takeaway is that when people see how AI empowers them, that’s when real adoption happens,” Ong reflected.

And as automation continues to streamline administrative tasks, the expectations for recruiters are evolving. Ong envisions a future where recruiters are not only tech-savvy but also deeply empathetic and business-focused.

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“AI automation will eliminate most of the repetitive, laborious tasks, and what remains are the human elements such as storytelling, character assessment, judgment and the ability to connect with candidates with cultural differences.”

For talent acquisition leaders, the shift is even more significant. “They will act as change agents who are driving transformation, shaping workforce strategies and investing in people. Building agile, resilient teams will be key to thriving in the future,” Ong added.

Keeping the human touch alive

Even as AI becomes more integrated into hiring workflows, KPMG remains committed to delivering a candidate experience that feels authentic and values-driven.

“Technology should only enhance the experience, not dilute it,” Ong stressed. “Our goal is to ensure that candidates feel seen, valued and connected to who we are as an employer at every step of the journey.”

For organisations looking to implement AI and automation in their hiring processes, Ong offered practical advice: “Don’t implement AI for the sake of it. Begin small, test, learn, and refine,” he advised. “It’s perfectly fine if we don’t get it right the first few times, as long as we keep learning, adapting and fine-tuning the models for optimal usage.”

And when asked about the single best investment talent acquisition or HR leaders can make today?

“People,” Ong answered firmly. “You can invest in the best technology, but without the right people—those who are skilled, empowered to use the technology responsibly and with the right mindset—it won’t succeed.”