The discussion about artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on the workplace has grown over the years, but it appears to have accelerated since the release of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools.
Despite the numerous advantages of AI, there are some concerns. The use of AI in hiring and recruiting, in particular, is frequently debated due to concerns about bias, lack of transparency, privacy issues, inaccuracy, and a lack of human interaction, prompting some to create rules and regulations such as the recent New York City law that limits AI in hiring, recruiting, or promotion until the tool has been audited for bias.
Despite the fact that many companies, such as Unilever, are beginning to use AI in their hiring efforts, a new Pew Research Center study finds that the majority of Americans are opposed to the use of AI in hiring.
Why Americans are opposed to AI in hiring?
According to a Pew Research Center survey, 71% of Americans are opposed to using AI in final hiring decisions. Only 7% of those polled supported it, while 22% were undecided. 41% of respondents were opposed to using AI to review job applications.
Over half (55%) were opposed to using information gathered and analyzed by AI in performance appraisal to determine whether an employee should be fired.
Along with a general dislike of AI in hiring, nearly two-thirds of respondents (66%) said they would be less likely to apply for a job that uses AI to hire. When asked the reason, respondents pointed out the lack of human touch in AI. Further, it couldn’t capture each and every aspect of the candidate and moreover may show its own biases, they added.
Respondents who said they would apply for a job that used AI to hire said AI can be less prejudiced or see things that humans miss.
Other significant findings in the study included:
Almost half (47%) thought AI would be better at treating all candidates equally.
Approximately half (44%) believe AI would be worse at recognizing a candidate’s potential, and slightly less than half (43%) believe AI would be worse at determining which job applicants would work well with coworkers.
Effective Strategies for utilizing AI in recruiting
As more businesses look into utilizing AI as a recruiting tool, recruiters may find it difficult to determine whether AI in hiring will cause more harm than benefit.
To guarantee that AI is utilized efficiently, and ethically, examine the following recommended practices to ensure that it aids rather than hinders the recruiting process:
- Be open about the use of artificial intelligence in the hiring process. Candidates should be notified if their application is being evaluated with AI and given information on how the system works.
- To reduce the risk of bias, train the AI system on diverse and representative data. It is critical to ensure that the data used to train the AI system reflects the diversity of the candidate pool and that the AI system is tested for bias on a regular basis.
- Ascertain that the AI system is compliant with privacy regulations and that candidate data is securely stored. Candidates should be informed about the collection and use of their personal data, and they should be given the option to opt-out if they so desire.
- Review and audit the AI system on a regular basis to ensure that it is working properly and producing accurate results. This includes checking for bias and, if necessary, retraining the system.
- Use AI to supplement, rather than replace, human decision-making. Although artificial intelligence (AI) should be used to assist recruiters and hiring managers in identifying potential candidates, the final hiring decision should always be made by a human.
- Continuously monitor the AI system’s performance and make adjustments as needed. Tracking the system’s accuracy and effectiveness in predicting successful hires is part of this.
- Allow candidates to provide feedback on the hiring process and the use of artificial intelligence. This can aid in the development of trust and enhance the candidate experience.
