'I was shocked that it was asking such good followup questions'
Canadian employers appear to be showing increased interest in conducting job interviews using artificial intelligence (AI) technology, according to a recent report.
Within nine months, AI developer Ribbon says it has signed 400 clients who now use the bot to conduct interviews, CBC reports.
The company spent over a year building and training its AI using publicly available interviews and voice datasets, with the goal of demonstrating emotional intelligence and asking insightful questions, says Arsham Ghahramani, Ribbon’s CEO.
"A year ago, people thought we were crazy," he says.
This trend may well continue, notes Mike Shekhtman, senior regional director at Robert Half: “As the technology improves, we will continue to see perhaps an acceleration,” he says in the CBC report.
AI is leading to a shift in high-demand skills, according to a previous Robert Half report.
'It was asking good questions'
While some employers are already utilising AI in their hiring processes, candidate reactions remain mixed.
Wafa Shafiq—a 26-year-old from Mississauga, Ont.—said she thought “it’d be really cool” to go through that kind of screening for a job.
Alex, an AI bot powered by software company Aprioria, interviewed her for a marketing position at a retirement insurance agency.
"I was shocked that it was asking such good followup questions," Shafiq tells CBC News. "My expectations had been lower."
AI may soon play a larger role in employee support, with new research showing it can outperform humans – even trained professionals – in delivering compassionate and empathetic communication, according to a previous report.
Endless interview with AI bot
Meanwhile, Maureen Green, a health technology consultant, experienced an AI-led interview for a position at a Canadian health-care company that also uses AI to route patient calls.
While she initially felt as though she was having a genuine conversation, the interview lasted nearly an hour—far longer than the scheduled 30 minutes—as the AI continued asking followup questions with no clear end point.
"I said: 'I'm so sorry, but it was wonderful talking to you. Thank you so much for the opportunity,' and so it ended."
Although Green believed she had performed well, she never received a response from the employer, CBC reports.
Almost half of CEOs say most employees are resistant or openly hostile to AI, according to a previous report.
Human-AI collaboration
"The key to the future of hiring lies in human-AI collaboration," say Utkarsh Amitabh, founder of Network Capital, and Ali Ansari, founder of micro1, in an article for the World Economic Forum.
"Conversational AI serves as a highly effective initial filter, identifying candidates with the right skills while allowing recruiters to focus on more nuanced factors such as cultural fit, communication style, and problem-solving ability. Human oversight also helps refine AI-driven processes, ensuring fairness and mitigating potential biases. Rather than replacing recruiters, AI enhances their role by reducing repetitive screening tasks, making the hiring process more efficient and equitable."
They add that AI “will not replace human decision-making in hiring.”
"It will augment it, making recruitment more strategic, inclusive and data-driven. Companies that embrace this evolution thoughtfully will attract better talent and build more diverse, dynamic and future-ready teams."
Here’s how to maximize AI for hiring and talent management, according to an expert.
