Editorial
With AI becoming more prevalent throughout the business world, a growing number of HR departments are also turning to the technology to automate manual tasks such as data analysis and talent management.
What isn’t clear, however, is whether they’re using discipline in their process. Because as AI continues to expand like a sinkhole on a tropical road, it’s leaving HR practitioners — like most other business leaders — with little time to consider just how this all works.
According to a Greenhouse AI & DEIB report, the majority of HR professionals, and nearly half of job candidates, have used generative artificial intelligence in the job hunting and hiring process. And if they haven’t, they’re thinking about it.
That means that while a significant number of people are intrigued by AI technology, a sizable number have concerns about how it might fit into work and what some of its unforeseen consequences might be.
AI Has Its Limits
HR leaders have good reasons to turn to AI as a resource. The technology can automate the process of sifting through resumes, assessing a candidate’s qualifications and arranging — and even directing — interviews. Proponents of the technology say this allows recruiters and talent acquisition professionals to devote more time to complex tasks.
But as generative AI grew in popularity, companies got to work to figure out how to find those resumes and cover letters that had been created by technology, rather than the candidate.
Seems like a good counter solution?
Now the rub: Research from Stanford University has demonstrated that some of those software solutions used to uncover AI-generated text can discriminate against non-native English speakers.
The “99%” accuracy rate touted by some detection products is “misleading at best,” the researchers told the Guardian.
Using seven TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) applications, the researchers processed 91 essays written by non-native English speakers. More than half were flagged as AI-generated by software solutions supposed to help HR leaders in their work.
Related Article: Generative AI Results Should Come With a Warning Label
Watch for the Bumpy Road Ahead
With discrepancies like that confronting them, no wonder HR leaders are wary. And it’s not just them.
The Greenhouse survey mentioned above shows both HR practitioners and candidates are equally undecided about whether advanced technology will result in more or less bias in hiring.
According to the software company, 84% of HR professionals believe there should be more workplace education and training on AI, and some 62% want to see an increase in laws governing the technology’s use to help prevent bias in recruiting.
Despite that awareness, it doesn’t look like those issues will slow down the adoption of AI for HR anytime soon. Greenhouse said nearly two-thirds of HR professionals consider AI to be the future of hiring.
Looking at the tidal wave of AI products hitting the market, they may be right.
Still, there’s reason to wonder how bumpy the road will be as we move toward that future. Half of the surveyed HR practitioners said their companies implement AI without monitoring or evaluating its performance.
Job seekers know that, which contributes to their apprehensions. About 27% of candidates believe AI imposes more bias on the hiring process than there’d otherwise be. That’s a minority, but a significant one.
Meanwhile, HR leaders are divided. Greenhouse found that more than a third of HR professionals, 37%, disagree with the idea that AI will reduce bias, vs. 28% who believe it will. And 33% said AI will help employers reach their DEI goals, vs. 31% who disagree.
Related Article: AI Is Here to Help. Recruiters Aren't So Sure
Disclosure Goes Both Ways
As a growing number of HR professionals build AI into the hiring process, there is increasing talk about the need to have more transparency from both companies and candidates about AI usage.
More than 38% of HR professionals believe candidates should disclose whether they use AI in their job search and hiring process. And almost 50% of candidates say employers should do the same for them.
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The plea for more transparency makes sense. Recruiters want to make sure they’re not using a bias framework in their hiring decisions, and candidates worry that employers might reject their application if it’s flagged for AI use — especially if that’s inaccurate.
"While AI is a beneficial tool for automating tasks and increasing efficiency, it shouldn’t be used in its present form to make human-based decisions like hiring,” said Henry Tsai, Greenhouse’s vice president of product and design. “As companies begin using AI, it’s critical that they are clear and transparent about how they are using it while being able to monitor and identify applications that could have a biased impact on a hiring decision.”
On July 5, New York became the first state to move forward with a law — called Local Law 144 — to bring more transparency to the use of automated employment decision tools (AEDT), including artificial intelligence.
As more HR leaders tap into the technology, and as a growing number of candidates voice their fears and experiences, there is likely to be other states that follow to better regulate the space. HR leaders would be wise to monitor developments in that area to make sure they remain compliant with new regulations and requirements.
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