Ashby Expands Its AI-Native ATS With Agents, Assistant, and MCP Support

New releases mark a shift from feature-level AI to workflow-level automation across recruiting.

SAN FRANCISCO, May 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Ashby, the all-in-one recruiting platform, today announced a major expansion of its AI capabilities, introducing a new generation of agents, assistants, and integrations designed to embed AI directly into hiring workflows. The announcement was made at Ashby One, the company's annual conference.

These updates reflect a broader shift in how AI is being applied to recruiting by moving beyond assistive features and toward systems that can take action, coordinate work, and operate across tools.

"We've always focused on eliminating busywork in recruiting so teams can focus on the highest-value decisions," said Anika Zaman, AI Product Manager at Ashby. "What's changed is that AI can now take on much larger parts of those workflows. Our goal is to make that both powerful and practical inside real hiring processes."

From assistive AI to action-oriented systems

Since being the first ATS to introduce AI features in 2023, Ashby has focused on embedding AI across core recruiting workflows. At Ashby One, the company introduced several new capabilities that build on that foundation:

• Custom Agents: Reusable, user-defined instructions for agents that help you streamline repeatable tasks such as candidate debriefs or pipeline analysis
• Ashby Assistant: A chat-based interface that allows teams to call agents, ask questions, analyze pipelines, and take action across all your data in Ashby (candidates, jobs, interviews, etc)
• Ashby Assistant in Slack: Enables teams to interact with the AI Ashby Assistant directly from Slack to complete tasks like submitting feedback or sending emails
• Scheduling Agents (preview): Autonomous workflows that manage interview scheduling end to end, including coordination, reminders, and rescheduling
• AI Interviewer (via Talent Llama): Structured, conversational AI interviews built directly into Ashby, with results feeding into scheduling, evaluation, and hiring decisions. Learn more in today's announcement.

Together, these features enable teams to move from manually executing tasks to delegating entire workflows.

"Agents allow you to build workflows that weren't previously possible inside the product," said Max Rodewald, Engineer at Ashby. "Instead of stitching together steps yourself, you can define what you want to happen and let the system handle execution."

Building an open AI ecosystem for hiring

In addition to first-party AI features, Ashby announced upcoming support for its MCP (Model Context Protocol) server, enabling third-party AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude to interact directly with Ashby. This will make it possible to:

• Query and update hiring data from external AI tools
• Build custom workflows outside of Ashby
• Connect recruiting data with broader AI systems and tooling

"An MCP is essentially an API layer designed for AI," said Zaman. "It allows customers to use Ashby as part of a broader ecosystem of tools, rather than locking workflows into a single interface."

This builds on Ashby's existing API-first approach and reflects a broader commitment to openness and interoperability.

Trusted by leading AI companies

Ashby's approach to AI is also reflected in its customer base. Ashby is used by nearly 70% of companies on this year's Forbes AI 50, up from around 50% the previous year. This includes many of the global companies building the underlying AI models and infrastructure now shaping the market, such as Cursor, Granola, Lovable, and Open AI.

"We think a lot about not just what AI can do, but how to implement it responsibly," said Zaman. "That means making sure it's transparent, governed, and actually useful in real workflows."

Availability

Ashby Assistant and Custom Agents are available in beta starting today. MCP support and additional agent-based workflows are expected to roll out in the coming months.

About Ashby
Ashby All-in-One enables ambitious talent teams to run a data-driven talent acquisition process with the latest innovations in AI, automation, and quality of hire measurement at their fingertips. Ashby combines your ATS, CRM & sourcing, scheduling, and analytics into a single, scalable solution with a modern UI and customizations to empower your business, from startup to enterprise.

About Ashby One
Ashby One is a one-day conference designed for Talent Acquisition leaders and RecOps professionals to gain actionable insights and build meaningful connections through keynotes, deep dives, and hands-on workshops. Attendees will have opportunities to engage directly with Ashby's Engineering, Customer Success, and Product teams through Ashby Labs, enjoy curated meals, and connect at an evening reception.

SOURCE Ashby, Inc.