Developers of new technologies, scaremongers, pessimists and people with something to sell are always predicting the demise of the recruitment industry and the end for recruitment consultants. We're all going to be replaced by robots. Some would say that the recruitment industry has been at death's door for at least twenty years. Reality indicates that people are rarely in a job for life, and job moves mean active candidates in the job market. Particularly in management consulting, good candidates are constantly seeking new challenges.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is still in its infancy; while the image Hollywood gives us of robots roaming our cities and becoming smarter than humans seems a long while off (if it ever happens) AI is still here, mostly in the form of Machine Learning. One question that seems to arise the most around AI is will it take our jobs? Some industries probably come straight to mind when you think about robotics and machines taking the jobs of humans – think about how the manufacturing process has changed in the past 20 years – but we want to look at one role which would change everything we do. We're starting to see a rise in companies offering'AI Recruitment', automating the recruitment process. This AI aims to take the time out of sourcing the right candidate, or even sifting through job applications.

There are many topics worth discussion at the moment, from GDPR to data security, smarter hiring and beyond. In this series of Facebook Live sessions, Sage CEO Stephen Kelly will be speaking with a number of the Sage Top 100 global business influencers and asking their opinions on subjects close to them. Stephen met Steven John, number 45 on the Sage Top 100 list for 2017 and asked him his thoughts on AI and just how important he feels it is to get it right. Stephen Kelly: "I'm really pleased to be engaging today with Steven John… an absolute expert in recruitment and people development. "So, Steven, tell us a bit about what you've done.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is still in its infancy; while the image Hollywood gives us of robots roaming our cities and becoming smarter than humans seems a long while off (if it ever happens) AI is still here, mostly in the form of Machine Learning. One question that seems to arise the most around AI is will it take our jobs? Some industries probably come straight to mind when you think about robotics and machines taking the jobs of humans – think about how the manufacturing process has changed in the past 20 years – but we want to look at one role which would change everything we do. We're starting to see a rise in companies offering'AI Recruitment', automating the recruitment process. This AI aims to take the time out of sourcing the right candidate, or even sifting through job applications.