BEERG Newsletter - Technology: UK to investigate use of AI in job interviews

The UK’s Information Commissioner John Edwards has announced an investigation into the use of AI in job interviews amid concerns that companies could be deploying such technology “without doing due diligence.” He noted concern that there could be inherent biases based on gender, race or neurodiversity that meant applicants could become victims of automated discrimination. 

“Companies may be deploying some of these applications without doing due diligence and asking the questions about how they are filtering candidates, for example, based on voice,” he told The Telegraph. “Companies should be asking questions. How does it treat neurodiverse applicants? How does it treat people with hearing impairments, or speech impediments? How does it treat different ethnic groups? And if they are not satisfied with the answers they’re getting, then they’re risking data protection consequences, but they’re also risking other liabilities. Most fundamentally, they’re risking not getting the best person for the job.” 

Zahira Jaser, an assistant professor at Sussex University who specialises in the area, said there was strong evidence that AI technologies could contain bias that can exclude some categories of jobseekers. The Telegraph notes that dozens of organisations from finance, retail, energy and even Government sectors have used technology from Hirevue, a US company, to analyse language and facial expressions during their recruitment process.

The interaction between the GDPR and privacy, AI, and employee information and consultation is on the agenda for our BEERG Network Meeting in Brussels on Sept 28/29. Booking Details HERE