In this “Ask Ingolf” episode of the SAATKORN podcast, I speak to Ingolf Teetz, Chief Innovation Officer at EMBRACE, about the latest developments surrounding the EU AI Act and why the topic is suddenly becoming extremely relevant again, particularly for the HR tech sector. The discussion is based on the European Commission’s guidelines on the classification of high-risk AI systems, published on 19 May. One sentence from the podcast really stuck with me:
“‘Human-in-the-loop’ alone will not be enough.”
Among other things, we discuss the following topics:
⚖️ Why many HR tech solutions could soon be classified as ‘high risk’
ATS systems, skill matching, interview assessments, performance analyses, ad targeting or freelancer rankings – as soon as AI is used for profiling or aptitude assessments, many solutions quickly end up in the high-risk category, subject to extensive compliance obligations.
🧩 Why modular AI systems will not be spared regulatory scrutiny
Even if AI functions are spread across different modules, regulators will likely consider the system as a whole. This could pose an enormous challenge, particularly for small and medium-sized HR tech providers.
🚀 Innovation versus regulation – will Europe strike the right balance?
This episode explores the balancing act between fostering innovation and upholding core values. Regulation could slow down start-ups, but at the same time it could also foster trust, governance and long-term competitive advantages for European providers.
Ingolf Teetz at the EMBRACE Festival
You can meet Ingolf Teetz on both days at the EMBRACE Festival. Alongside Dr Jürgen Erbeldinger, Tim Schleicher and Ute Neher, he will also be a guest on our HR tech panel discussing the topic ‘The End of HR Tech as we know it?!’
🔗 Further links
- Ingolf Teetz’s LinkedIn profile
- EMBRACE website
- EU Commission publication and related thoughts in the SAATKORN newsletter
- Ask Ingolf Spotify playlist
🎧 If you want to understand what the EU AI Act really means for recruitment, HR tech, learning platforms and AI-based talent decisions, you should definitely have a listen to this episode. Listen now: