Online services that interview job applicants remotely by webcam and use artificial intelligence to assess their skills mushroomed in popularity during the pandemic and into the subsequent economic recovery. But the technology raises questions about whether computers can accurately and fairly judge a person’s character traits and emotional cues. The dominant provider, HireVue, recently announced it would stop trying to read people’s facial expressions, but it still makes assessments based on an analysis of their speech and the words they choose. Some governments are pushing for more transparency to ensure the technology isn’t discriminating based on race, gender, accents and other factors.
Want a job? Employers say: Talk to the computer
