The 5 Tiers of AI in Recruiting (and Why It Matters Where You Sit)

AI in recruiting isn’t one thing. It’s a spectrum. Some tools are free and easy to use. Others require enterprise integrations, months of procurement, and someone in IT who still has questions about API keys.

This issue breaks down a five-tier framework I’ve been using to help teams figure out what kind of AI tools are a fit for them. Not just what looks good in a demo. It’s written for recruiters, TA leaders, and anyone stuck somewhere between just let me try this and we need a cross functional AI strategy.

AI is everywhere in recruiting right now. You probably have a few unread sales emails about it in your inbox. Maybe your team is testing a tool that writes job posts for you. Or maybe you’re just trying to figure out what’s useful, what’s hype, and what you actually have control over.

This five-tier framework isn’t a magic formula. It’s just a practical way to look at how AI is showing up in recruiting. From quick tools you can use on your own to heavy systems that take a year and three approvals to roll out.

Before anything else, ask yourself Which of these tiers can I actually influence?

Because the answer to that question changes everything about how you evaluate tools and where you focus your time.

Tier 1: The DIY Stuff

These are the tools you can start using today. No budget. No IT ticket. No meetings about procurement process.

Think ChatGPT, Otter, Loom, Notion AI, Magical, or free Zapier automations. You use them to rewrite your outreach, transcribe intake calls, summarize interview notes, or create quick productivity shortcuts.

One recruiter I know isn’t allowed to install extensions on her work laptop. So she uses her phone to run ChatGPT prompts before every intake. It’s not ideal, but it helps her sound sharper in meetings and get to the right questions faster.

Tier 2: Manual but Mighty

These tools are a bit more powerful but don’t integrate into your stack. You’re still manually uploading CSVs, working in multiple tabs, or doing some copy paste acrobatics.

Think Clay, SourceWhale, Instantly, AmazingHiring. You might use them for enrichment, outreach campaigns, or prioritizing candidate lists.

This tier is where a lot of experimentation happens. If you're in a startup or running lean, it’s a good place to find out what actually works before making a bigger investment.

Tier 3: The Stack Starts Talking

This is where tools begin to integrate with your ATS or CRM. You’re not just working alongside the system anymore. You’re inside it. It’s structured, supported, and hopefully making your life easier.

Think Phenom, Sense, SeekOut Enterprise, Paradox, Provenbase, HireEZ Enterprise. You use them for things like rediscovery, scheduling automation, chat-based screening, and engagement at scale.

If you’re buried in reqs, this is the tier that starts to buy back time.

Tier 4: Fully Wired

These are the big platforms. Deep integrations. Global scale. Long contract cycles.

Think Gloat, HiredScore, SAP Joule, Oracle Dynamic Skills They support things like internal mobility, succession planning, skills graphs, and broader workforce strategies. Most live inside or alongside your HCM.

They’re powerful, but slow to change. If you want to experiment here, expect to send your ideas up the chain and wait.

Tier 5: You Build It

This tier is for custom work. You’re either building with internal engineering or partnering closely with someone who knows how to ship AI features safely and at scale.

Think recruiter facing copilots built on GPT, internal bots that generate job descriptions, or search tools trained on your company’s hiring history. You build in this tier when no vendor can solve your problem or when you want to own the model and the data.

It’s not for everyone. But it’s where some of the most interesting work is happening.

So where do you sit?

Maybe you’re a recruiter using what you can get your hands on. Maybe you're leading a team and trying to stretch budget while keeping things compliant. Or maybe you’re somewhere in the middle, trying to nudge your organization one tier further than it is today.

Wherever you are, this five-tier model gives you a way to talk about AI without getting lost in buzzwords. It helps you see what problems you can actually solve, and which ones might need to wait.

So next time someone asks Should we use AI, try something different.

Ask them Which tier are we actually ready for and see where the conversation goes from there.