Will Robot Recruiters make the recruitment process less biased?

3 min readOct 29, 2021

Artificial Intelligence is taking an increasing role in the recruitment industry with the advent of Robot recruiters. According to the Financial Times, the technology is primarily used for screening candidates to aid recruiters with the tedious parts of the recruiting process. AI-powered Robot recruiting can take many forms: machine learning that identifies successful sourcing patterns, voice and facial recognition tools and video recording, or big data-based algorithms applied to the hiring process. Some systems scan resumes and cvs for keywords and searchable phrases. The company Mya uses a Chatbot that interviews candidates and helps recruiters screen millions of applications. Robot interviews work like real interviews where candidates answer live questions, and are evaluated based on their mood, confidence and company-fit. Companies like PWC, L’Oreal, Danone, Mars, Schlumberger, and Citibank are already using the services of VCV.AI, a company that has raised $1.7 million for its facial and voice recognition tool, according to TechCrunch. And more than more than 95% of all US companies already make use of robots, according to company Match.

According to the Economist, recruiters anticipate that the technology could bring lots of efficiencies to high-volume, high-turnover, low-skilled jobs such as supermarkets, fast-food chains or call centers. But human recruiters will not be replaced anytime soon, according to AI companies and industry experts. While AI can help automate the more repetitive and painful tasks, recruiters are still needed for in-person interviews, and to assess more subtle qualities such as candidate personality, body language or values. Higher level recruiters, who rely on their personal contacts and professional network, won’t feel the effects as much as lower level recruiters who deal with volume and screening. Industry experts anticipate that recruitment will require more emotional intelligence and salesmanship from recruiters.

One of the key challenges posed by the use of artificial intelligence is the effect they will have on bias in the job selection process. Big data advocates argue that the algorithms have the potential to eliminate human bias and help recruiters make better hiring decisions. Yet, according to SWE magazine, some human resources experts say they struggle to remove all bias from the data they’re feeding the AI machines. Others point to other field of AI where AI systems have exacerbated human bias instead of reducing it, like in the notable example of COMPAS (Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sections) an algorithm used in the criminal justice system to predict the likelihood of recidivism for a defendant, notoriously known for its biased predictions toward black offenders.To address this, one robotics company, Furhat robotics, trains the platform to learn from the behavior of multiple recruiters to mitigate the bias. The professional network, Linkedin, uses an internal software called “Recruiter” that delivers balanced representation to recruiters when they’re searching for job candidates; the tool also flags discriminatory job listings as well as provides inclusiveness feedback and implicit bias training to the company’s employees.

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Will Robot Recruiters make the recruitment process less biased?

Written by Mona Saidi