The British Army is employing artificial intelligence (AI) to expedite its recruitment process as it continues to grapple with a depleted workforce.
Developed by outsourcing firm Capita, AI software is now being used to rapidly analyze the medical documents of potential recruits and identify who is eligible to enlist.
The software works by converting uploaded documents into searchable records and putting emails, electronic documents, and voice messages into one format for recruiters to easily find and assess.
According to the developer, the tech is designed to improve efficiency, as the service usually processes around 40,000 medical documents per year.
Saving Time
Before the AI software was employed, British military recruiters were spending at least an hour per applicant to manually evaluate health records.
This is because medical records for military enlistment are typically 50 to 100 pages long.
With other processes involved, it reportedly takes five months before a potential recruit is notified if he or she made the cut.
But according to a Capita source, the induction of the new AI tech has reduced the total application time by 25 percent.
“Face-to-face contact and engagement with serving personnel will always be at the heart of Army recruitment, but there are parts of the process which have become quicker, simpler, and more effective through the use of artificial intelligence technology,” a company spokesperson told iNews.
‘Lowest Since 1815’
In December 2023, UK Ministry of Defence data revealed that the British military is experiencing its lowest number of active-duty personnel since the Napoleonic wars in 1815.
The total number of regular troops and volunteer reserves in all services fell to 184,000 — more than 7,000 lower than the previous year.
The British Army saw the biggest decline, from 78,000 soldiers in 2022 to only 75,983 in 2023.
The force was so small that the service’s highest-ranking official bluntly stated that the UK would not be able to survive an all-out war.
The UK parliament also admitted to feeling increasingly concerned with the crisis, especially after learning that more people are leaving the armed forces than joining.
