USPS exploring AI in hiring, but reassures humans won’t soon be replaced
The U.S. Postal Service is exploring the use of artificial intelligence in its hiring processes and to streamline operations, potentially in hopes of saving some cash, according to a white paper report released this week by its Office of the Inspector General.
Drawing from examples of international post carriers, the USPS is looking to use AI to review resumes for specific experience and key elements, the report said. However, the OIG said AI will not soon replace human operators but will complement its workforce, even creating new positions for humans with AI skills.
“Going forward, the pace of substitution will be affected by a combination of factors, such as the maturity and progress of AI systems, the organization’s readiness to embrace new technologies, as well as regulatory, safety and corporate cultural considerations,” it said.
The report looked to an AI hiring assistant named Charlie used by PostNL, the postal service for the Netherlands, which screens and schedules interviews with candidates and cuts the time to schedule the first interview from four days to half a day.
The USPS is looking toward the future of agentic, embodied, contextual and quantum AI to “power the next generation of autonomous postal robotics, machines capable of operating safely, flexibly, and autonomously in complex, real‑world environments,” to possibly save money, the OIG said.
“Given the size and complexity of Postal Service operations, investments in AI infrastructure need to be balanced against other critical initiatives such as network modernization, workforce management, and long‑term financial stability,” the report said. “However, targeting AI deployments that yield the highest operational savings in the shorter term could help create a virtuous cycle, where these savings could be reinvested to further advance AI capabilities and fund broader organizational goals.”
Earlier this year, Postmaster General David Steiner predicted the USPS will run out of money by next February. But, by suspending payments to the Federal Employees Retirement System, the service will stave off the crash until at least 2031, he said.
“We invested in the right places and in new technology, built a stronger network, and learned to operate it effectively and with more agility,” he said before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in June. “But we are not yet where we need to be. We must be candid about the challenges we face.”
The report also said broad adoption of AI is limited, and using some generative AI may add an intermediary layer between shippers and carriers, “weakening posts’ relationship with their customers.”
The USPS had 35 AI use cases by the end of last year, it said, including: adjusting worker and equipment assignments to increase efficiency, autonomous delivery, delivery route optimization, fraud detection, passport applications, customer service and internal documentation.
