How AI Helps Recruiters Track Jobseekers’ Emotions

Developers claim technology can overcome bias, but questions remain over data privacy

The Financial Times
Financial Times

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Photo: chombosan / Getty Images

By Patricia Nilsson

Facial recognition technology allows us to pay for lunch, unlock a phone — it can even get us arrested. Now, that technology is moving on: algorithms are not only learning to recognise who we are, but also what we feel.

So-called emotion recognition technology is in its infancy. But artificial intelligence companies claim it has the power to transform recruitment.

Their algorithms, they say, can decipher how enthusiastic, bored or honest a job applicant may be — and help employers weed out candidates with undesirable characteristics. Employers, including Unilever, are already beginning to use the technology.

London-based Human, founded in 2016, is a start-up that analyses video-based job applications. The company claims it can spot the emotional expressions of prospective candidates and match them with personality traits — information its algorithms collect by deciphering subliminal facial expressions when the applicant answers questions.

Emotion recognition technology helps employers … shortlist people they may not have…

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