Is artificial intelligence the recruitment professional’s new best friend?

TODAY, ‘things’ in the corporate and consumer world are hyper-connected and powered by disruptive technologies such as the internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI).

The latter, however, has made a mark from operations all the way to customer service.

For many hiring managers, AI can provide solutions that streamline the hiring process and enhance recruitment efforts.

Based on algorithms and what it ‘learns’ over time, AI tools can scrape candidate profiles to identify the best fit for roles, saving recruiters previous hours sourcing and screening candidates.

Further, AI helps find more talent as it can tap into a wider talent pool through different platforms such as agency databases and social media platforms.

Whilst using AI in hiring, however, organizations need to take note of the legal issues surrounding it and address the concerns raised by staff, candidates, as well as regulators.

Amazon, for example, recently announced that it would stop using its AI recruiting tool after the algorithm was accused of being gender-biased.

Another up and coming AI hiring tool faces legal issues with using face-scanning technology for pre-employment interviews.

As a result, regulators are exploring new laws specifically targeted to make the usage of AI in recruitments more transparent.

For example, Illinois’s Artificial Intelligence Video Interview Act is directed towards employers that record video interviews and run AI analyses on them — without the knowledge and permission of the candidate.

Aside from requiring employers to obtain legal consent, it also stipulates that employers must ensure that applicants are provided with information on how AI works and how it is used in the hiring process.

The legal landscape will continuously evolve as the technology progress at breakneck speed. Therefore, employers looking to use AI must navigate these waters cautiously.

Before the full deployment of AI in the hiring process, employers should take a step back and consider a few key questions.

Firstly, does the AI tool discriminate among candidates in any way? Next, employers should also think about transparency. Finally, if a third party vendor is used to conduct the hiring, employers must be fully aware of how candidates’ personal data will be used and stores,

Organizations should also frequently audit the AI solution they use to ensure they proactively identify and remediate any biases that might skew the hiring process as a result of an update to the program.

Using AI to complement the hiring process can give organizations a competitive advantage. Easing the workload of the hiring team also means that valuable resources can be channeled into other facets that require more attention.

Employers, however, must be mindful of new and developing laws and do their part to ensure that this technology is being used fairly by all.

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