Glasgow-based recruitment tech company Willo has launched a new AI-powered tool designed to help employers identify the most suitable candidates earlier in the hiring process as businesses grapple with a rise in application volumes driven by the growing use of generative AI.
Willo Insights aims to address a growing problem for recruiters – distinguishing genuine candidates in a market increasingly characterised by high-volume and AI-assisted applications. Willo’s 2026 hiring report found that almost 8-in-10 employers (77%) are now encountering AI generated or “assisted” applications.
The system builds a role-specific blueprint using a range of employer inputs – including job descriptions, internal frameworks, cultural materials and recorded hiring manager conversations – before assessing applicants against that context.
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The approach marks a shift away from conventional screening tools, which typically rely on CV keyword matching or generic scoring models, and towards a more contextual method of evaluating candidates.
The launch follows approximately 18 months of development and more than $1 million in investment, as Willo seeks to expand beyond video interviewing into what it describes as ‘hiring intelligence’.
Employers are reporting a significant increase in application volumes, with many candidates now using AI tools to draft or enhance submissions. While this has improved the baseline quality of applications, it has also made it harder for hiring teams to identify authentic signals of suitability.
Euan Cameron, co-founder and chief executive of Willo, which works with more than 5,000+ employers globally including EasyJet, HelloFresh, EDF Energy, Bolt, and Toyota, said the company had deliberately avoided rushing an AI scoring product to market.
He said: “Employers are dealing with far more applications than they were even a year ago, and many now contain AI-generated content. That makes it harder to distinguish between candidates in a meaningful way.
“We took the view that hiring is too subjective and too high stakes to automate crudely. The focus instead was on building something that understands what success looks like in a specific role, and uses that as the basis for assessment.
“The aim isn’t to automate hiring decisions, but to bring more structure and consistency to the part of the process where those things are often lacking. By creating a clear benchmark upfront – the blueprint – you reduce variability and give hiring teams better evidence to work from. It’s all about the quality of what you put in.”
Early testing of the platform has included organisations hiring at both specialist and high-volume levels. In one retrospective analysis, UK energy network operator Northern Powergrid found that six of the eight candidates it progressed to interview as part of a months-long process had been ranked within the top six recommendations generated by Insights.
Paul Hamlin, head of talent acquisition at Northern Powergrid, said the technology addressed several structural challenges facing large employers: “Across the energy sector, we’re hiring at significant scale into highly technical roles, and that brings real challenges,” added. “There’s a shortage of skills in the market, an ageing workforce, and far higher volumes of applications to manage. That creates a constant tension between moving quickly and making the right decisions, while still ensuring consistency and fairness.
“What hiring teams are looking for from technology now isn’t automation for its own sake, but better evidence. We want tools that reduce the administrative burden, support decision-making, and bring more consistency into how candidates are assessed – particularly when multiple assessors are involved.
“We’re still in the early stages of using Willo Insights, but it’s already helping move things away from being purely opinion-led. By structuring what good looks like for a role upfront and applying that consistently, it gives hiring managers a clearer, more objective view of candidates. That has the potential to improve quality, fairness and efficiency at the same time.”
Industry observers say the rapid adoption of generative AI in recruitment is forcing companies to rethink how they assess candidates, particularly in early-stage screening, as candidates increasingly take advantage of the possibility of applying for jobs in minutes rather than the hours it would previously require thanks to AI.
Founded in 2020 by Cameron and chief product officer Hamish Livingston, Willo has grown significantly each year, doubling its annual recurring revenue (ARR) last year, and has expanded its team and operations as it seeks to position itself within a more data-driven approach to recruitment. Mimecast Founder Peter Bauer has already invested more than $6m in the platform.
The company will also invest significantly in its North American operation – currently responsible for more than 60% of Willo’s revenue – with plans for an expanded team and US headquarters expedited later this year.
