Bengaluru, May 5 -- Artificial intelligence (AI) isn't just threatening to make jobs redundant. It may be taking over the hiring process-at least the initial screening of candidates. AI tools conduct video interviews, track every expression on the face of a candidate and throw up questions based on expertise and sector. Just like a human recruiter would do. Professional networking firm Grapevine, and firms like AssessHub, Hyring and Babblebots are helping those looking for new employees, from outsourcers to realty firms to screen potential hires from large pools of aspirants. Grapevine uses its 'Round1' solution to interview interns. "Soon after launch, my AI took 100 interviews, something I wouldn't have been able to do manually," said Saumil Tripathi, co-founder and chief executive, Grapevine. Since launch, 15,000-plus users have given interviews to an AI to prep for future interviews or brush up their skills, he said. "In 1-2 months, this is what is going to be the future of hiring." Grapevine's Tripathi said they are not targeting the entire interviewing process. "We want to come in initially, screen a good candidate and give it to the company." Until now, AI was limited to scanning resumes and recruiters then had to shortlist candidates individually. The process was long and not cost-effective. AI is now filling that gap. And the opportunity is growing. A report by HR solutions provider Genius Consultants shows that 45% of companies expect to hire for new permanent positions in FY26. It would be safe to assume that AI would play a role in many of these recruitments this year. Razorpay, for example, is running proof-of-concept projects that use AI for HR functions, both in the pre- and post-hiring phases of a candidate. "We're evaluating AI-driven tools that can help us conduct the first one or two rounds of conversations and we may want to use that as a step for early assessment or filtering candidates," said Chitbhanu Nagri, head of human resources at the fintech company. The unicorn has partnered with MasterPrep AI for initial screening and interviews of potential employees. Razorpay is also using AI for documentation-writing job descriptions or hiring guidelines for HR associates. The cost savings for clients using AI for recruitment vary, according to Aditya Narayan Mishra, managing director and chief executive at CIEL HR, a recruitment and staffing services provider. "I've seen savings as high as 80% and as low as 20%," he said. "It depends on the level of the position you're talking about as well as the number of positions. When the position is slightly junior in nature and the volume is high, then cost savings are high." Ajmera Realty has seen its recruitment timelines shrink by 20% after it bought Babblebots' offerings to automate recruitment, such as CV-matching, after-hour interviews and WhatsApp outreach. "HR now focuses on high-value decision making," Shweta Rathor, assistant vice president of HR at the real estate firm, said....