AI found to be an ineffective tool for recruitment

In contrast to popular belief, artificial intelligence (AI)-based hiring tools do not reduce bias in recruitment, Cambridge University researchers wrote in the journal Philosophy and Technology.

Dr Kerry Mackereth, a researcher at the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Gender Studies, said that tools cannot be trained to only recognise job-related characteristics and omit traits like gender and race from the hiring process “because the kinds of attributes we think are essential for being a good employee are bound up with gender and race”.

It is believed by the researchers that the use of AI in the analysis of candidates’ CVs or videos is nothing but “pseudoscience”, reported The News.

READ: AI expected to play a larger role in recruitment for Indian firms

Nearly a quarter of 500 HR professionals surveyed in 2020 revealed that AI was being used to acquire talent, according to Sage People’s The changing face of HR: HR and people leaders’ report. Despite greater interest among HR professionals in using such technology to reduce biases in the hiring process, some firms have acknowledged that such tools may have disadvantages. In 2018, for example, Amazon announced that it was ceasing to use such a recruitment engine since it discriminated against female applicants.