black woman AI concept

AI is best suited to helping humans complete simple and repetitive tasks that require analysis of large datasets. Identifying and hiring top talent, however, is far from simple. It requires a nuanced understanding of whether an individual is the right fit for a position, on a case-by-case basis. This is especially true when hiring and retaining diverse candidates. Even the smartest humans have not identified a proven solution for predicting who will be a successful hire. Further, the rules that are simple and reliable enough for an AI tool to understand are generally the ones we specifically don’t want it to use, like stereotypes.

These algorithms are backward looking; they are based on data from the past. The people who have done well in the past are white males. You probably would not want to pursue that algorithm as a hiring strategy, even though the machine learning algorithm would say that’s the thing to do.

– Peter Cappelli, Wharton School of Business

This means employers need to be especially cautious of vendor claims that AI tools provide a solution to systemic biases in their organizations. In order to build trust in AI systems, humans need both:

  1. A clear understanding of how the system works, and
  2. A proven process to test and check its results.
Continue to Risks of Bias and Discrimination in AI Hiring Tools