So much for our brave new world.
Artificial intelligence to sort through piles of employment applications and resumes in an instant -- free of human error, clean and unbiased -- great idea! What could go wrong?
Plenty, apparently.
Amazon has had to scrap its recruiting AI because it found that the AI was -- misogynistic. It didn't like female applicants.
According to the Daily Mail, the sexist AI loved applicants who used "male" verbs like "executed" and "captured." Meanwhile, it excluded applicants who went to all-female schools and whose hobbies indicated that they were female (for example, president of the "women's chess club").
Although Amazon's developers tried to "raise the consciousness" of the program, the company finally gave up after deciding that the AI might just find some other way to teach itself to be a chauvinist pig. They're now using it only to "de-duplicate" and perform similar judgment-free tasks.
Amazon says that it never relied solely on the AI in recruiting applicants, so it isn't clear that the AI problems resulted in any actual discrimination against female applicants. The company says "that it is committed to diversity and equality."
Human hiring managers, your jobs appear to be safe for the time being.
Of Counsel & Chief Legal EditorRobin also conducts internal investigations and delivers training for HR professionals, managers, and employees on topics such as harassment prevention, disability accommodation, and leave management.
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This is Constangy’s flagship law blog, founded in 2010 by Robin Shea, who is chief legal editor and a regular contributor. This nationally recognized blog also features posts from other Constangy attorneys in the areas of immigration, labor relations, and sports law, keeping HR professionals and employers informed about the latest legal trends.
