In response to a persistent staffing crisis across the Armed Forces, army recruiters are incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate the recruitment process, specifically in handling medical records of prospective soldiers. Outsourcing company Capita, responsible for army recruiting under a £1.4 billion contract, is leveraging AI software to analyze medical records submitted with applications.
The move comes after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) acknowledged the Army’s failure to meet recruitment targets at all training centers for the past five years. Capita, whose contract has faced parliamentary criticism for leaving the military short of personnel ready for basic training, hopes that AI can streamline the recruitment process.
A spokesperson for Capita emphasized the enduring importance of face-to-face engagement in army recruitment but highlighted the efficiency gained through AI technology. Recruiters often have to manually assess medical records, some of which can be up to 100 pages long, taking up to an hour each. Capita’s proprietary AI software, developed last summer, assists medical professionals in scanning and summarizing these records, potentially reducing processing time by nearly a third.
The current recruitment process, from application to passing out, spans five months. Capita believes that integrating AI technology can contribute to time savings, addressing the urgency of getting recruits into basic training promptly and minimizing candidate dropouts.
Capita executives previously admitted the likelihood of reaching only 70% of the Army’s recruiting target this year. Richard Holroyd, CEO of Capita’s public services division, informed the House of Commons’ defense committee in January about the company’s expectation to fall short by almost a third of the instructed 9,813 new recruits.
Amid challenges throughout the Capita contract, including missed targets at basic training centers, the Armed Forces are grappling with a recruitment and retention crisis, as outlined in a recent parliamentary report titled “Ready For War.” The report underscores the strains on the Armed Forces, with the Army operating at 130% of its capacity, the Royal Navy facing task imbalances, and the RAF experiencing a doubling of operational flights over the last 12 months.