40% of Companies Will Use AI to 'Interview' Job Applicants, Report

Artificial intelligence is playing a key role in radically transforming the recruitment process for open positions. The technology is also affecting the way candidates respond to job postings.

Nearly all Fortune 500 companies (99 per cent, according to Jobscan research) are using the newfangled technology to automatically filter applicants during the recruitment process. Moreover, a Resume Builder survey found that nearly 40 per cent of companies will leverage AI for initial candidate interactions this year.

Now, a new report reveals job applicants are adapting to employers' use of AI, despite their reservations about the technology. Notably, an earlier study found nearly three-quarters of employers still "don't know" how to implement AI effectively.

If a report by The Guardian is anything to go by, AI has extended its reach to recruiter calls. The site claims employers are now using the technology to conduct preliminary screening interviews, which involves providing answers within a strict time limit.

This usually comes as a surprise for candidates who click on a video invite only to find no interviewer present or answer a call to be greeted by a voice eerily similar to Siri or Alexa. It is worth noting that a considerable number of candidates probably have no idea they're participating in an AI-driven interview.

"I expected a person or a panel," Adele Walton, a 24-year-old journalist, told The Guardian. "When I clicked on the call, I was surprised to enter a chat room with just myself."

Job seekers navigate the rise of AI interviews

With the emergence of employer-focused AI recruitment tools, similar tools designed to empower job seekers have been gaining traction as well. In fact, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman predicted AI systems will play a key role in improving workers' abilities in 3 critical sectors including coding, education and healthcare.

Altman's prediction aligns with The Guardian's abovementioned report, which suggests AI will empower candidates by helping them improve their resumes, automate job applications and even generate personalised cover letters.

While these AI-powered tools can help companies perform repetitive and time-intensive tasks without breaking a sweat, per Forbes, they still have some kinks to work out. For instance, companies can't fully rely on this technology to handle executive decisions, like selecting the next CEO of a company.

However, Rory Mir, associate director of community organizing at the Electronic Frontier Foundation believes AI can come in handy for hiring lower-ranked workers.

A recent study published by researchers at Stanford, Chicago, and the Allen Institute (via arXiv preprint server) revealed that AI hiring tools do not eliminate the risk of bias. The research revealed that AI hiring tools might make discriminatory assumptions about candidates based on patterns of speech.

So, it is safe to say that the technology, in its current form, is not ready to eradicate the perpetuating unfair hiring practices.