The Perceived Objectivity of AI and Its Impact on Decision Authority in HR and Administrative Contexts

Artificial intelligence has become deeply embedded in human resource management and administrative decision-making, particularly in areas such as recruitment, performance evaluation, promotion, and workforce analytics. While these technologies are often introduced to enhance efficiency and consistency, their organisational impact extends beyond process optimisation. This opinion paper argues that AI systems increasingly shape decision authority in HR and administrative contexts because they are perceived as objective, neutral, and rational. This perceived objectivity legitimises reliance on algorithmic outputs, subtly redistributes authority away from human judgement, and complicates accountability without formal changes to responsibility structures. Drawing on contemporary literature on algorithmic control, trust in AI, and governance, the paper critically examines how objectivity narratives reshape organisational decision-making and proposes a human-centric reassertion of judgement as a governance imperative.