It’s no secret that hiring discrimination is a pervasive issue. However, proponents of Artificial Intelligence (AI) believe that algorithms can alleviate bias by focusing on skills rather than identifiers that might trigger unconscious bias, such as name, gender, age, and education. By conducting blind evaluations, AI could promote workplace diversity.
Several companies offer AI-driven HR technology aimed at “fair and transparent hiring.” For instance, HireVue offers automated text recruiting and AI analysis of video interviews claiming that “machines are consistent by design,” which translates to equal treatment for everyone. Similarly, Paradox pledges to use technology that is “designed to exclude bias and limit scalability of existing biases in talent acquisition processes.” Meanwhile, Beamery claims its AI is “bias-free.”
Notably, several major corporations worldwide are already using these technologies. HireVue counts General Mills, Kraft Heinz, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital among its clients, while Amazon, CVS, McDonald’s, Nestle, and Uber partner with Paradox. Johnson & Johnson, PNC, Verizon, and Wells Fargo work with Beamery.
The rise of AI presents significant opportunities for both job seekers and employers. While AI-driven hiring may not be perfect yet, it can be a powerful tool to combat hiring discrimination and promote diversity in the workplace.
Read: Jobs in artificial intelligence: Workers are looking to ride the wave, and employers are hiring
The Dark Side of AI Hiring
AI has been lauded as the solution to eliminating discrimination in hiring by its proponents; however, recent research shows that the opposite may be true. AI’s ability to be extremely efficient has resulted in non-traditional candidates being overlooked, and it can blacklist candidates based on a single facial expression.
The Potential of AI Hiring
Based on a 2019 article in Harvard Business Review, AI recruitment tools are praised for their superior capability in assessing more candidates than humans could. This is because an AI program’s speed ensures that a more diverse pool of candidates is available. Frida Polli, the CEO and co-founder of Pymetrics, a soft-skills AI platform used in hiring, believed that AI’s design specifications would eliminate unconscious human bias.
The Reality of AI Hiring
Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. The efficiency that AI brings can overlook nontraditional candidates because their attributes don’t fit the past hiring data reflected in the system. A human might see value in a candidate’s skills obtained in another field, but an AI processing application may reject the candidate’s resume on sight. Even a candidate’s facial expression during an interview can result in them being blacklisted by an AI system.
The Bias Issue
According to Alexander Alonso, the chief knowledge officer at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), there are two approaches to AI as a selection tool: one believes that it is less biased yet recognizes that the algorithm will learn over time and incorporate any biases into its decision-making process.
AI’s speed and efficiency do bring benefits to the hiring process; however, they also come with potential drawbacks that can lead to discrimination in its recruitment decision-making process. It’s necessary to recognize this dichotomy and address these issues through design strategies.
How AI is Revolutionizing Hiring
As the world moves towards digitization, the role of AI in HR processes is becoming more prevalent. According to a recent survey from SHRM, 79% of employers using AI for HR activities employed it in recruitment and hiring.
While automated applicant tracking systems have existed for decades, companies are now utilizing a wide range of AI screening and decision-making tools in the hiring process. These include machine learning, natural language processing, and even facial recognition.
Automated systems can scan resumes and cover letters, searching for specific keywords. Chatbots and virtual assistants can be used to question candidates about their qualifications, weeding out those who don’t meet the employer’s requirements. Video interviewing software can even evaluate speech patterns and facial expressions.
However, as much as AI can streamline HR processes, it’s important to note that this only works if humans remain impartial throughout the process. Unconscious bias can be amplified in AI decision-making models, leading to skewed results.
It is important to continually review and assess the use of AI in hiring processes to ensure that it is advancing fairness and diversity in the workplace, rather than hindering it.
AI and Workplace Bias: The Risks and Realities
The rise of AI technology in the workplace is both exciting and concerning. On one hand, it has the potential to boost productivity and innovation. On the other hand, it could deepen existing inequalities, warns a report by the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers from December 2022.
The report highlights that firms are worried about how the use of AI algorithms could introduce bias at every stage of the hiring process. This is a serious concern, as a study by the University of Cambridge in October 2022 showed that companies touting objective and meritocratic assessments through AI are being disingenuous.
The report argues that despite the implementation of anti-bias measures to remove gender and race, they are ineffective because the concept of the “ideal employee” has been influenced by historical biases around gender, race, and ethnicity. “It overlooks the fact that historically the archetypal candidate has been perceived to be white and/or male and European,” according to the report.
It is important to note that AI hiring technologies may not be inherently racist, but they are not neutral either. As Trey Causey, head of AI ethics at job search site Indeed explains, “These models were trained on data produced by humans, right? So like all of the things that make humans human — the good and the less good — those things are going to be in that data… There’s all kinds of biases coded in that the data might have.”
There have been some worrying examples of biased AI systems in practice. It is clear that while AI brings a lot of promise to the workplace, companies will need to be proactive in addressing the risks and realities of workplace bias.
The Dangers of Automated Recruitment Software
Automated recruitment software has often been marketed as a tool to eliminate bias and increase efficiency, but recent examples indicate that these promises have not always been fulfilled. In fact, the use of some types of automated recruitment software has led to accusations of discrimination.
Amazon famously removed its automated candidate screening system in October 2018 after it was discovered that the system had filtered out women for certain positions. Similarly, a University of Maryland study found that some facial recognition services used for recruitment interpreted Black job applicants as having more negative emotions than white applicants.
In 2022, an English-language tutoring services company called iTutorGroup was sued by the EEOC for age discrimination, with allegations that its recruitment software had filtered out older applicants.
While some companies have made changes to their platforms in response to allegations of bias, experts warn that HR professionals must carefully consider the data input and potential for bias in any automated recruitment software they use. Emily Dickens, Chief of Staff and Head of Government Affairs at SHRM, stresses the importance of the human element in using these tools effectively and avoiding discrimination.
“Figure out where the risks are and where humans insert their human intelligence to make sure that these [tools] are being used in a way that’s nondiscriminatory and efficient while solving some of the problems we’ve been facing in the workplace about bringing in an untapped talent pool,” she advises.
Public Perception of AI: A Mixed Bag
A recent report by Pew Research Center reveals a mixed response from the talent pool regarding the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI). While 47% of respondents believe that AI would be better than humans in treating all job applicants without bias, paradoxically, more than 40% opposed using it for job applications. Furthermore, a whopping 71% rejected the idea of AI being responsible for final hiring decisions.
The study also found that 62% of respondents believed AI would have a major impact on workers in the next two decades. However, only 28% felt that they would be personally affected by AI in the workplace. According to Colleen McClain, a research associate at Pew, “People think a little differently about the way that emerging technologies will impact society versus themselves.”
It’s not just the general public that’s skeptical. Government officials are also raising red flags regarding the potential for perpetuating bias in the workplace with the use of AI. However, there is no clear path forward as yet.
While AI offers great potential for combating discrimination in the workplace, people remain concerned about its potential impact and reliability. Only time will tell how we go about integrating it into our daily lives.
The Growing Concern of AI and Algorithmic Fairness in Employment Decisions
EEOC’s Initiative on AI and Algorithmic Fairness in Employment Decisions
The EEOC launched an initiative on AI and algorithmic fairness in October 2021. As a part of this initiative, the agency held a series of listening sessions in 2022 to gather insights on this topic. In May, the EEOC provided more specific guidance regarding the usage of algorithmic decision-making software. It highlighted the potential of such software to violate the Americans with Disabilities Act and other civil rights laws. The absence of safeguards can result in biased outcomes leading to discrimination.
White House’s Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights
The White House has released its “Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights,” which emphasizes the potential for algorithms used in hiring and credit decisions to reflect and reproduce existing unwanted inequities or embed new harmful bias and discrimination. On 4th May, the White House announced an independent commitment from some leading AI companies to have their systems publicly evaluated to ensure their alignment with the AI Bill of Rights.
Joint Statement by Recognized Agencies
In April 2022, the FTC, Department of Justice, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and EEOC jointly released a statement emphasizing their commitment to enforcing existing discrimination and bias laws. The statement outlined several potential issues with automated systems, including skewed or biased outcomes due to outdated or erroneous data used by AI models; the difficulty in identifying whether systems are biased, given the complex nature of AI; and the possibility that AI systems could lack relevant context for real-world usage.
AI in Hiring: A Regulatory Puzzle
Most white people don’t believe that racial discrimination exists in their workplace, but around fifty percent of Black employees beg to differ. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can either help or hinder this problem, depending on how it is used.
There are some equal opportunity and anti-discrimination laws that can be applied to AI-based hiring practices. For now, municipalities and states are creating new regulatory landscapes that require employers to disclose the use of AI technology.
Illinois requires employers to inform applicants about the use of AI to analyze video interviews. Meanwhile, Maryland has banned employers from using facial recognition service technology for prospective hires unless the applicant signs a waiver.
However, only New York City has passed a law concerning bias in AI hiring tools. The law necessitates an audit of any automated employment decision tools conducted by unbiased auditors.
Executions of these laws remain obscure because companies lack guidance on how to choose reliable third-party auditors. Nevertheless, Washington D.C., California, and New Jersey are considering laws that regulate the use of AI in recruitment decisions to minimize discrimination.
When it comes to AI in hiring, regulation seems to be a puzzle. However, more precise guidelines and regulations will hopefully emerge, paving the way for an equitable work environment.
AI and the Future of Human Resources
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to grow, it’s shaping the future of industries all over the world. The Human Resources (HR) industry has already embraced the technology, but it’s not without its challenges.
Saira Jesani, Deputy Executive Director of the Data & Trust Alliance, warns that AI in hiring is a “high-risk application of AI”. This is because many companies buying those tools aren’t building them, which can increase the risk of biases and discrimination in the system.
Jesani doesn’t believe AI can be completely free of biases at this moment in time. Instead, companies can try to mitigate bias by properly vetting the AI companies they use and choosing vendors that take bias seriously in their designs.
“Bringing in a model that has not been using the employer’s data is not going to give you any clue as to what its biases are,” Jesani explains.
As the industry still struggles with bias in AI technology, SHRM’s Dickens points out that legislation surrounding AI at the state and local level is likely to include “flexible and agile” language that would account for unknowns.
Skill Sets Needed for Workers in the AI Era
As organizations continue adapting to machine learning and AI, job skills specifics should vary for each sector. Career opportunities in data analysis, algorithm design, and natural language processing are becoming increasingly popular across industries.
The rise of chatbots, automated customer services, and personal assistants like Amazon’s Alexis and Apple’s Siri will open up new opportunities for tech-based workers in many different sectors.
In conclusion, there is little doubt that AI will continue to grow and affect employment in HR. However, companies must take responsibility by mitigating bias and prioritizing hiring AI companies that are committed to safeguarding against it.
Will AI Take Over The World Of Human Resources?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is evolving rapidly, and it’s changing the way we live and work. But what impact will AI have on the world of human resources (HR), and will it take over entirely?
Despite concerns that AI could introduce bias and discrimination in the workplace, businesses are investing in this technology. Companies are finding that AI can streamline HR processes and ultimately save time and money.
However, public alarm about AI’s potential negative impacts on the jobs market is a top concern for HR professionals like Carlos Alonso at SHRM. There’s a growing fear that AI will become so advanced that it will take over jobs that were previously done by humans. But which fear is more valid: the fear that AI will amplify existing biases or the fear that it will take over the world?
Alonso notes that worrying about these scenarios is pointless because AI is advancing so quickly that we won’t have time to react: “By the time you’ve finished deciding which fear to act on, AI will have passed us by.”
As we move forward, it’s important to remember that technology has always changed the workforce. The rise of computers in the 1970s created fears that human jobs would be lost to automation. However, these fears turned out to be unwarranted. Jobs adapted to the new technology, creating new opportunities in fields such as IT and software development.
In conclusion, although AI may have some challenges, there’s no need to panic about it taking over entirely. Instead, HR professionals can focus on educating themselves on the latest developments in AI and exploring how they can use it to improve their processes.
