Artificial intelligence truly is a great boon to recruiters and hiring managers. But there’s a real risk of losing the all-important “human touch” in recruiting.
Many candidates already feel the process is dehumanizing and there’s a fear that AI tech will only serve to make it even more so.
Yet it’s not just candidates who are worried….
….so is the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which recently has come up with guidance to help employers stay clear of anti-discrimination in hiring guidelines.
AI Recruiting suggestions to help:
- Remember that the ability of the language models and survey generators used by AI is, in the end, based on the quality and nature of the data upon which it is trained, which is – in essence – all of the internet, the information on which may be biased in one way or another. Thus, information AI uses may by chance or on purpose mirror the biases and viewpoints it will find on the internet.
- Provide your HR team members and department hiring managers with high-quality training in the use of recruiting AI tools. Doing so can only help keep your company from being accused of using tech with built-in biases.
- You could run afoul of Title VII when using AI, particularly when using AI for deciding how much to pay candidates. As the article linked to above states: “with growing number of employers enhancing their pay equity and transparence, many are relying on third-party AI software and solutions for guidance. These tools face the same disparate and adverse impact recruiting as recruiting tools.”
How can you avoid these pitfalls? Some tips:
Make sure you ask your tech provider before purchasing anything. Ask questions such as:
- What have they done to make sure their AI tools will have a disparate impact on certain/distinct groups of job candidates or team members?
- Does their product adhere to the four-fifths rule, making sure that minority groups selection rates aren’t less than four-firth of those of majority groups?
- Have they evaluated or audited the tech to see if there are any biases within them? If there were, have they removed these biases? Most importantly, how will they prove so to you?
Keep the following in mind:
Simply taking the vendor’s word that their AI tools are discrimination-free isn’t enough: Title VII adherence rests with you. It’s absolutely necessary, then, that you take the time to assess the products’ biases (lack of, one hopes) as well as their data sets.
Doing so helps make sure that you’ll find any concealed biases, thus not only keeping your company’s reputation for fairness in hiring solid, but also helping you steer clear of Title VII violations.
Finally, understand that staying abreast of anti-discrimination laws as they pertain to the use of AI in hiring is something you’ll always be doing from here on out; it’s smart to review and test your AI tools regularly.
Keep your attorney thisclose. Well, perhaps not THAT close, but understand that auditing of AI biases may soon become mandatory: New York City in July 2023 passed a law called the Automated Employment Decision Tool Law, which stipulated that any companies that use AI or other “machine learning” tech during their hiring process must perform annual audits of that technology. (Important note: a third party must conduct the audits). The audit needs to check for bias built into the tech, whether it’s there on purpose or not.
Many states probably will follow New York’s lead on this. Maryland and Illinois already have, and California, Vermont, New Jersey, and New York State also are looking into regulations regarding AI bias in hiring. Chances are high, therefore, that other states soon will follow with their own AI recruiting/biases laws.
Using AI in recruitment needs a balance between fairness and efficiency. As employers, we need to be vigilant when it comes to preventing biases, complying with laws/conducting audits. We’ll thus be able to rest easy know that our use of AI tech improves our recruiting so that it’s candidate-focused and ethical.
Debbie’s Staffing can help your company find great people quickly, helping you when someone is on vacation, on family leave or you’re (happily so) finding yourself needing to grow your employee numbers.
Learn more about how we can help you in your (unbiased) recruiting efforts.