There’s often a perceived disconnect between HR and IT, a sense that these two functions operate in parallel rather than in partnership. But when it comes to talent acquisition, their views are more aligned than you might think.
While 88% of CHROs say they are driving strategic change across their organizations, only one-third of HR leaders say talent acquisition is viewed as a core strategic function, according to iCIMS’ 2025 State of the CHRO Report. Similarly, 43% of CIOs still consider TA a support function rather than a strategic business lever.
This shared, realistic view of where TA stands today presents a critical opportunity. For years, talent acquisition has been measured by speed and cost rather than strategic value. However, in today’s labor market, marked by deep friction, AI disruption, shrinking talent budgets and shifting workforce expectations, this perception could lead to a dangerous strategy misalignment.
The latest BLS jobs report reinforces just how strategic HR leaders have become. While job openings are on the rise, hiring has continued to slow. Recruiters are no longer just filling roles; they’re serving as strategic talent advisors, ensuring every hire drives real business impact. For CIOs, this means the candidates making it through the door are not only qualified but well-matched to drive the transformation on their technology agendas.
See also: 5 ways to revolutionize talent acquisition
In an environment where AI transformation is urgent and ongoing, having the right people is business critical, and elevating TA to its rightful place as a strategic driver within HR and across the company is the path for CHROs and CIOs to align and lead through change. Here’s how we can bridge this gap, drive shared ownership of the hiring engine, and elevate talent acquisition as the strategic force that it is.
Claim HR’s role in AI transformation
Closing the talent acquisition perception gap starts with CIOs recognizing that HR is not just an end-user of their systems. It is a co-driver of technology strategies, especially when it comes to AI.
HR is at the center of AI adoption, touching nearly every facet of its use within the business. HR is often an employee’s first encounter with an organization’s use of AI, with many teams leveraging the technology at the very beginning of the candidate journey, from the application process to onboarding. Beyond that, HR plays a critical role in supporting AI upskilling and overseeing governance across the organization.
Today’s HR leaders are not only championing AI to streamline processes and enhance the employee experience, but they are also actively pushing for greater investment in AI to enhance their own processes and deliver outcomes that align with business goals. According to the iCIMS report, 75% of CHROs plan to increase their talent acquisition budgets this year, and topping their agendas is integrating AI into hiring processes. CHROs believe these technological investments will unlock major gains for organizations, from faster and more efficient hiring (37%) to quicker candidate matching (36%) and reduced bias in decision-making (36%).
CIOs may be deep in the details of AI adoption, driving implementation and full-scale integration across the organization, but they are not alone. CHROs and their teams are on the frontlines of transformation too, playing a critical role in people-driven transformation and preparing the workforce for change. That’s why HR teams must take the lead in making their impact visible. Proactively share AI use cases, align on shared goals with IT, and advocate for your seat at the table in enterprise tech planning.
Open the HR-IT communication floodgates
Many CIOs share HR’s vision of greater integration of AI and automation into talent acquisition processes. However, the act of collaborating with HR to realize this vision is the sticky part. According to iCIMS, CIOs point to strategic disconnects (51%) and a lack of shared understanding about tech capabilities (48%) as key barriers to IT-HR alignment.
Winning the talent race isn’t just about having the right tools. It’s about having the right partnerships to help maximize their potential. For HR, that means partnering with IT to deepen their understanding of the technology itself, because the pace of innovation demands it. CHROs and CIOs should work side by side, co-owning everything from shaping the business case for AI to collaborating on implementation, product demos and AI upskilling initiatives. There should be ongoing, proactive communication between HR and IT teams about how talent acquisition technology can be leveraged across the organization.
Questions like “Are there new pilot programs we can launch to drive recruitment efficiency?” and “Where can AI add the most value to our talent acquisition processes to enhance efficiency and reduce costs?” shouldn’t be answered in a silo. CHROs and CIOs should stay closely aligned to bridge the gap between technology, talent and overarching organizational priorities. This type of partnership will not only help close the knowledge gap, but it will also build the trust and collaboration needed to move from vision to technological execution across the workforce.
Build a shared vision around TA tech goals
Effective collaboration between CIOs and HR leaders hinges not just on the recognition of HR as a strategic AI peer and consistent communication, but also on aligning on a shared vision for the future.
When it comes to building a mutual understanding of goals and outcomes, leaders should keep in mind that the value of talent acquisition shouldn’t be measured solely by metrics like cost-per-hire. Measures like hiring speed or candidate quality should be directly linked to outcomes like innovation or business growth contributions.
To help shift this narrative, CHROs need to step into their influential roles and champion the change they want to see. That means advocating for this shift and benchmarking strategic progress to showcase where HR fits into the bigger business picture.
For CIOs, it’s about treating talent acquisition goals with the same urgency and strategy as tech objectives and understanding that one can’t succeed without the other. Just like technology infrastructure, talent acquisition technology should be built for scale. For example, issues like hiring friction should be treated in the same way as a lag in a critical application. Investigate it and work with CHROs to fix it fast.
When HR and IT create a shared vision and co-own the technology roadmap from start to finish, leaders can drive AI and talent transformation in unison and achieve lasting business success.
It’s time to partner up
The hiring engine is under pressure from all sides, with leaders juggling AI priorities, cost constraints, market volatility and a critical need for top talent. The good news? HR and IT aren’t starting from opposite sides; they share a realistic view of where talent acquisition stands today and a shared stake in its success.
It is because of this that CHRO and CIO leaders can’t afford to be misaligned. Organizations that get the HR-IT partnership right and recognize talent acquisition as a strategic lever for the business will be the ones that outpace disruption and drive innovation.
