The next time you interview for a job it may be with an AI

AI-powered recruitment on the rise: Job seekers are increasingly encountering artificial intelligence during the hiring process, with some companies utilizing AI interviewers to screen candidates.

• Graphic designer Paloma Canseco recently shared her experience of a phone interview with a “virtual recruiter” on LinkedIn, highlighting the growing prevalence of AI in recruitment.
• Canseco chose to end the interview prematurely, expressing her unwillingness to work for a company that employs AI for candidate screening.

Current landscape of AI in recruitment: The use of AI recruitment software is not a new phenomenon, with several companies already incorporating various forms of AI into their hiring processes.

• Chipotle, for example, uses an AI recruiter named “Ava Cado” as part of its recruitment strategy.
• The extent of AI involvement varies among companies, ranging from basic tasks like interview scheduling and information collection to conducting real-time interviews with candidates.

Potential benefits of AI recruitment: Proponents argue that AI-powered recruitment tools offer several advantages for both employers and job seekers.

• Apriora, an AI recruitment software provider, claims its AI interviewer accelerates the hiring process and allows recruiters to focus more time on suitable candidates.
• AI screenings may provide opportunities for candidates who might have been overlooked by human recruiters based on cover letters or CVs alone.
• The potential for AI to be more impartial than humans, who may rely on subjective factors or personal biases, is another cited benefit.

Concerns and limitations: Despite the potential benefits, there are significant concerns about the use of AI in recruitment, particularly regarding bias and fairness.

• AI systems can still contain biases based on their training data, potentially disadvantaging certain groups of candidates.
• HireVue’s AI assessment service, launched in 2014, analyzed job seekers’ expressions and speech to generate employability scores, raising concerns about potential discrimination against non-native English speakers or nervous applicants.
• In 2018, Amazon discontinued an AI hiring tool due to gender bias, as it showed a preference for male candidates based on historical hiring data.

Future implications: The increasing adoption of AI in recruitment suggests that job seekers may need to adapt to this new reality.

• Industry experts predict that AI recruiters will rapidly become the norm in hiring processes.
• This trend may limit candidates’ ability to opt-out of AI-led interviews, as exemplified by Canseco’s experience.

Balancing innovation and ethics: As AI continues to reshape the recruitment landscape, striking a balance between technological innovation and ethical considerations will be crucial for ensuring fair and effective hiring practices.

• Companies implementing AI recruitment tools must carefully consider potential biases and limitations to avoid perpetuating discrimination in hiring processes.
• Job seekers may need to develop new strategies for engaging with AI interviewers while also advocating for transparency and fairness in AI-driven recruitment practices.