Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
Job Interviews Turning To Dystopian Hell Are A Reality As This Person’s Experience Proves
Artificial intelligence is seeping into almost every facet of our lives. Job interviews are no exception. According to the World Economic Forum, 88% of companies already use at least some form of AI for candidate screening. But is it always ethical?
This person’s experience might raise some red flags. When they went to a recent job interview, the recruiter was only interested in conducting a “vibe check.” The rest of the evaluation process, apparently, was to be done by AI. The person’s post blew up and sparked a conversation about the ethics and humanity of the current recruitment process. “Orwell and Huxley are spinning in their graves,” one commenter even quipped.
RELATED:
A candidate recently shared their nightmare job interview, where they were unknowingly scored by an AI
Image credits: Mimi Thian (not the actual image)
“Apparently, I didn’t vibe hard enough with the computer,” the job seeker wrote after the rejection
Image credits: Emiliano Vittoriosi (not the actual image)
Image credits: benzoix (not the actual image)
Image credits: NegativeCranberry970
People feel averse to AI in the recruitment process, even if it may have some advantages
Finding out that you getting a job depends on whether you can impress a robot can feel dehumanizing. What’s more, few job seekers are actually thrilled that they’re being hired by AI. A 2024 survey by Talker Research revealed that 32% of Americans feel discomfort with the idea of AI conducting job interviews.
Some commenters pointed out that it’s illegal to use AI in a job interview without disclosing it. However, that’s true only depending on where you live. New York City requires employers to tell candidates if and how AI is used in the hiring process. The EU has also passed the EU AI Act, which requires employers to ensure there is no bias and that candidates are aware that artificial intelligence is being used.
Is there a positive side to companies using AI for recruitment? Experts say that it’s good for doing simple, repetitive tasks, like initial screenings and basic skills tests. What else is it good for?
- It can also save recruiters time by going through applications more quickly.
- It’s more cost-effective, as there is no need for large hiring teams.
- When used correctly, it can be more objective during the initial screening phase.
Most people could probably move past AI evaluating these things. The trouble begins when a person logs in for a job interview and finds out that they will be talking to a robot.
Image credits: yanalya (not the actual image)
AI recruitment tools have a lousy track record of bias and a lack of transparency
The use of AI in recruiting is getting a lot of pushback. People are pointing out how dehumanizing it may feel to be evaluated by a machine and not by a person. There is also concern about AI bias, as there have been examples of it in recent years.
In 2018, Amazon had to scrap its AI hiring tool for being sexist. Members of the team that created the tool told Reuters that “the system effectively taught itself that male candidates were preferable.” The system was built on the data of resumes from the previous 10 years. The kicker? The applicants were mostly men, and that’s why the tool developed a bias toward women.
Current AI tools still struggle with nuanced interpersonal skills. A human recruiter is better at recognizing a candidate’s emotional intelligence and potential. That’s especially relevant if a person is a non-traditional candidate: a career switcher or a person from an underrepresented group.
There’s also a problem with transparency. Recruiters often don’t know how these AI tools operate and wouldn’t be able to explain their algorithms in simple terms. The candidates are often not told why they were rejected.
As evident from this story, there is a digital privacy concern as well. How much data will the AI tool be storing? And shouldn’t the applicant know beforehand that there is AI involved? The EU has the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), but some companies using AI in their recruitment process may violate even those strict guidelines for handling personal data.
And, of course, there’s the dehumanization problem. As the principal researcher and project lead for the Canadian Labour Market Information Council Lorena Camargo writes in a post on LinkedIn, “There are people’s lives and career trajectories at stake here that are being ultimately decided on.”
“[They’re] impacted by technologies that we aren’t certain how much of the process and output/recommendation can be explained and properly supported in its logic.”
As AI is still a relatively new technology, it is easy to understand why job seekers and people in general feel so defensive about it. Companies and recruiters will have to reassure them in the future about what steps they’re taking to address the concerns we’ve listed above. Until then, people will most likely look at AI job interviews as something from dystopian fiction.
Image credits: Nahrizul Kadri (not the actual image)
“Next level dehumanising,” commenters reacted with disappointment
Poll Question
Total votes ·
Thanks! Check out the results:
Total votes ·
Newsletter
Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls
By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!
What do you think ?
Kelly Scott 1 month ago
If I was in an interview and the interviewer told me it was AI recorded, I'd give them a look of disgust and walk out. S***w 'em.
Ryan-James O'Driscoll 1 month ago
AI can be a very useful tool, but it is just that. Companies which outsource their brains to AI in the hope that it can make all their decisions for them often find out to their detriment that it cannot. Companies that have achieved good results with AI integration often have taken the time to learn how to use it, it's benefits, limitations and where it can actually help their business. I would never interview with an AI, if a person cannot assess another person, they should not be in that role.
Marnie 1 month ago
My company has been very gung-ho on AI, specifically LLMs. But they are all also having us do an AI fundamentals course to get a basic understanding of how they work. Once you know that, you realize there is no "intelligence" there whatsoever. It's just a mimic. Of course, you have to "train" it so there are some rules involved, but like you say, it's just a tool. I sometimes make good use of it, but then this week, I wasted about 6 hours because one AI (well two different models) led me completely in the wrong direction to solve a problem. Did so with complete confidence of course.
Load More Replies... Kelly Scott 1 month ago
If I was in an interview and the interviewer told me it was AI recorded, I'd give them a look of disgust and walk out. S***w 'em.
Ryan-James O'Driscoll 1 month ago
AI can be a very useful tool, but it is just that. Companies which outsource their brains to AI in the hope that it can make all their decisions for them often find out to their detriment that it cannot. Companies that have achieved good results with AI integration often have taken the time to learn how to use it, it's benefits, limitations and where it can actually help their business. I would never interview with an AI, if a person cannot assess another person, they should not be in that role.
Marnie 1 month ago
My company has been very gung-ho on AI, specifically LLMs. But they are all also having us do an AI fundamentals course to get a basic understanding of how they work. Once you know that, you realize there is no "intelligence" there whatsoever. It's just a mimic. Of course, you have to "train" it so there are some rules involved, but like you say, it's just a tool. I sometimes make good use of it, but then this week, I wasted about 6 hours because one AI (well two different models) led me completely in the wrong direction to solve a problem. Did so with complete confidence of course.
Load More Replies... You May Like 50 World’s Weirdest Jobs That Pay Out Quite Well Employee Denied Time Off After Covering A Crisis All Weekend: “The Stupidest Person Alive” Office Left In Chaos After Ridiculous PTO Rules Are Announced: "Our Calendar Looked Like Cheese"
Aivaras Kaziukonis
Dominyka Proškėnaitė
Mantas Kačerauskas
Related on Bored Panda
27
11