“The obstacle is the way,” purportedly, according to former Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius.

Although Aurelius, himself, probably wouldn’t understand artificial intelligence, there’s a growing case that AI in hiring could help recruiters address and mitigate bias, rather than amplify their own. But HR teams aren’t there…yet.

Bias is a perennial concern for many recruiters and HR pros, especially when exploring the AI tools and platforms in the people function, and some HR leaders and technologists predict the technology will impact bias in hiring for the better.

There’s definitely room to grow when it comes to leveraging these tools to help address risk in recruiting associated with bias, according to HR professionals surveyed by HR Brew in December.

For more on the findings of HR Brew’s survey, keep reading here.—AD

Earlier this year, more than 1,600 Google employees signed a petition opposing the tech company’s contracts with government agencies including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). And, late last month, Alphabet’s president of global affairs, Kent Walker, responded, though not in the way employees were likely hoping.

Walker sent a memo to employees stating that “we have proudly worked with defence departments since Google’s earliest days and continue to believe that it is important to support national security in a thoughtful and responsible way,” the Financial Times reported.

“There is a mismatch between what leadership is saying and what employees want, and that’s really common…You’re coming from different perspectives with different objectives,” Deborah Grayson Riegel, executive and communication coach and co-author of Aim High and Bounce Back, told HR Brew. “The thing that struck me about it was the lack of acknowledgement that this is a fraught issue.”

For more on the leadership implications associated with ignoring employees’ concerns, keep reading here.—MC

The fraud is coming from inside the house.

Fraud committed by an organization’s employees is “likely the largest and most costly form of financial crime in the world,” according to John Warren, CEO of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). Occupational fraud costs companies a median $104,000 per incident, and one in five occupational fraud cases result in losses of more than $1 million. That’s according to the ACFE’s 2026 Report to the Nations. The report examined 2,402 fraud cases worldwide that had been investigated by ACFE members.

In most of those cases, companies won’t get any of the money back. More than half the time (56%) companies weren’t able to recover any of the lost funds, while about a third (29%) received partial returns and 15% recovered all losses.

Though staff are the ones committing occupational fraud, they’re also key to exposing it.

For more on the role of employees in the fight against fraud, keep reading on CFO Brew.—CV

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