Study says AI tool failed to reduce the recruitment bias

The researcher found in a study that artificially intelligent hiring tools do not improve diversity or reduce bias.

The Cambridge University researchers in the journal Philosophy and Technology said that there is a growing interest in new methods of solving problems such as interview bias. They said that the use of AI is becoming widespread but the analysis in the production of applications and candidates is "pseudoscience".

A professional body of human resources once said that AI can counter bias. In 2020, the study notes an international survey of 500 human-resources professionals where AI was used for "talent acquisition, in the form of automation" by nearly a quarter of them. But according to the latest study using AI to reduce bias is counter-productive and post-doctoral researcher Dr. Kerry Mackereth of the University of Cambridge for Center Gender Studies called it "a myth".

The study noted that some companies have also found these tools problematic. For example, in 2018 Amazon announced that it had scrapped the development of an AI-powered recruitment engine because it could detect gender from CVs and discriminated against female applicants.