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Bijo Thomas was expecting a human being to interview him for a job as a senior AI solutions architect role at talent acquisition brand Experis. When he opened up his laptop for an interview, he instead came face-to-face with an AI avatar named Sophie.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thomas recently told Business Insider<\/a> about the experience. He said that Sophie looked like a human being from the neck up, and she smiled and asked follow-up questions throughout the interview.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt was very realistic,\u201d Thomas told BI. He passed the interview and went through two more rounds, each time with human interviewers. He got the job and joined in May.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Thomas\u2019s experience reflects a growing trend. AI is moving beyond sorting through large piles of resumes and extending its reach to early-stage job interviews. Companies like cryptocurrency platform Coinbase and automation software company Zapier have quietly begun using AI to screen candidates in interviews, BI reported.\u00a0<\/p>\n Industries like retail and manufacturing first used AI in job interviews to meet high-volume hiring targets. Now the practice is gaining steam for weeding out candidates seeking full-time, white-collar positions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Employers aren\u2019t touting the use of AI systems in hiring, partly because of debate around AI. According to BI, it remains to be seen whether AI chatbots have a positive impact by reducing human bias in hiring or a negative effect by alienating candidates.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe interview process is arguably the most human part of recruiting,\u201d Kyle Lagunas, an HR tech industry analyst, told BI. He added that employers could be concerned about how it would look to candidates to outsource this human element of recruiting to AI.\u00a0<\/p>\n At some companies, however, applicants must pass through AI interviews before they can make an impression on human interviewers \u2014\u00a0and at times, the AI gatekeepers are necessary due to the sheer volume of job applicants. For example, Coinbase faces a flood of applications, about 1.5 million per year, L.J. Brock, the platform\u2019s chief people officer, told BI.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNo matter how big my recruiting team is, no matter how hard we try, we can\u2019t get to 1.5 million people,\u201d he told the outlet.\u00a0<\/p>\n Coinbase turned to AI to manage interviews starting in August. The company introduced an AI interviewer named Milo to handle interviews for roles below the director level. Since Milo\u2019s release, Coinbase has brought on more than 240 new hires initially filtered by the AI.\u00a0<\/p>\n Coinbase isn\u2019t the only company to experiment with AI interviews. Zapier also rolled out AI interviews last year after realizing that its job postings immediately drew thousands of applicants \u2014 far more than it was possible for humans to screen on their own.<\/p>\n Tracy St.Dic, Zapier\u2019s global head of talent, told BI that AI interviews have allowed the company to screen up to five times more applicants than normal and allowed candidates to advance through the hiring process on the basis of more than just their application and resume. St.Dic called these applicants \u201chidden gems.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Bijo Thomas was expecting a human being to interview him for a job as a senior AI solutions architect role at talent acquisition brand Experis. When he opened up his laptop for an interview, he instead came face-to-face with an AI avatar named Sophie.\u00a0<\/p>\nEmployers are reluctant to publicize their dependence on AI\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Another company finds \u2018hidden gems\u2019 with AI interviews<\/h2>\n
Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n
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