The Artificial Intelligence Act and its implications for the future of talent acquisition

This thesis investigates the transformative influence of the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) on talent acquisition strategies, with a particular emphasis on the interaction between developing legal frameworks and the expanding use of algorithmic systems in Human Resources. The primary objective is to assess how AI-driven technologies, particularly those used in candidate screening, assessment, and selection, reshape traditional hiring processes and generate legal, ethical, and organizational consequences. The work is divided into two complementary dimensions. On one side, it develops an organizational analysis, exploring how multinational corporations, with EssilorLuxottica as a case study, structure and manage recruitment pipelines in an era of digital transformation. On the other side, it provides a legal analysis, focusing on the obligations and compliance requirements set out by the AI Act, in connection with related frameworks such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and EU anti-discrimination law. This dual approach enables the study to evaluate both the managerial practices within global HR departments and the regulatory safeguards designed to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability. The thesis is structured into two main sections. The first section lays the theoretical groundwork, including an overview of the AI Act, the issues of bias and discrimination in AI systems, and the general conceptual underpinnings of algorithmic management. Special focus is placed on opacity, profiling, and systemic bias in recruitment, with reference to current scholarship and real-world examples such as Amazon’s discontinued AI hiring tool. The second section investigates the applied dimension of algorithmic management in talent acquisition, distinguishing between ethical integration strategies and compliance challenges, while also considering the Operations Talent Program of EssilorLuxottica. Methodologically, the research adopts a qualitative and discursive approach, combining legal interpretation with organizational observation. The experimental component of the study examines perceptions of fairness and transparency in AI-driven versus human-led recruiting decisions, contextualized within EssilorLuxottica’s practices. By integrating legal reasoning with organizational analysis, the thesis aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of how the AI Act could shape the future of recruitment in multinational enterprises.