Will AI Steal Jobs From Humans? It's Already Taking Over the Hiring Process

Generative AI has emerged as a game changer and while it's still being debated if AI will take away jobs from human beings, many are complaining that the use of bots in the hiring process may already be keeping new candidates out of work. Beyond generating text, providing customer support, and even coding, AI is now used to monitor job interviews. Ty, a 29-year-old man applied to a finance and banking company. Getting his application escalated, he thought it would be a quick introduction call with the recruiter. He expected to talk to a real person but he soon realized that he was talking to an AI virtual assistant that introduced itself as Jaime. He then freaked out and said, "The voice sounded similar to Siri. It was creepy." Although it asked all the correct questions such as "What’s your management style?" "Are you a good fit for this role?" but it also cut him off with "Great! Sounds good!" "Perfect!" and moved on to the next question. This frustrated Ty but he still managed to finish the interview. To his surprise, the virtual assistant suddenly stopped after a few questions and told him that the interview was over and someone from the team would reach out later.

Various employers shared their experience of utilizing AI for the interview process and said that AI is useful in screening more than 1,000 applications but when it comes to choosing the top talent, there has to be human interaction. A survey conducted by Sapia.ai in 2020 found that 55% of companies were inclined towards increasing their investments in AI taking over recruitment tasks, via The Guardian. Adele Walton, a 24-year-old journalist and content creator from England sat in an AI interview and shared, "I expected a person or a panel. When I clicked on the call, I was surprised to enter a chat room with just myself." As someone who’s struggled with body dysmorphia, I found that my face was an unnecessary distraction in the interview process. I know I would have done better if there was another person there. Due to the distractions and the unnatural feeling, she did not get a follow-up interview and felt that being interviewed by a person gives you more opportunities to take the discussion further.

We live in a world where AI is part of everything, so many candidates now consider it fair to customize their resumes and cover letters with AI and to auto-apply for jobs since companies are unapologetically using AI in the hiring process. Fanta-Marie Touré, a 24-year-old living in Atlanta further mentions, “It’s very expensive to hire someone to help you with your résumé.”  “A lot of people charge $150 an hour to do résumé reviews. That’s a lot, so why not use a tool that costs me maybe $30 a month?” But surprisingly, employers are becoming more cautious of AI-generated resumes and want to evaluate the candidate by scheduling a face-to-face meeting. Michael G, the founder of Final Round AI, created Interview Co-pilot which is a tool that listens to the recruiters' queries and suggests answers on the screen. He further believes that if the candidates understand and use AI for good, they can be a lot more valuable asset for the company and the employer.