Automated Hiring: Is it worth it?
The speed at which we collect data has rapidly accelerated in recent years, allowing us to create technology to automate and solve difficult, large-scale problems. However, should these systems be able to make these important ethical decisions that can impact people’s lives?
One example in which technology can be especially detrimental is the use of AI and Big Data in the hiring process. Despite being one of the leading technology companies in Silicon Valley, Amazon was recently reported to have scrapped one of their secret, automated recruiting tools that had a bias against women’s applicants (Vincent). The algorithm they were using was automatically penalizing potential applicants who had any phrases with “women’’ in them (Vincent). Technology is supposed to remove bias; however, when designing these algorithms and feeding them only a subset of a dataset, bias can actually be highlighted and amplify that existing bias. Thankfully, Amazon realized that their tool was inherently flawed and scrapped it. However, there are thousands of other tests that are biased and have not been changed.
In “Weapons of Math Destruction,” O’ Neil talks about a young man named Kyle Behm who wanted to get a part-time job to help pay for his schooling and treatment for bipolar disorder. A previous Vanderbilt student with a near-perfect ACT score, Behm struggled to get a part-time job at Kroger. It turns out that a test by an employee selection program developed by a company named Kronos was automatically blackballing Behm because of his previous mental health history. Kroger was not the only place that used this test; ALL of his other employers were also using the same or very similar test. One company/test should not have the ability to decide the requirements of a good candidate.
Technology CAN be especially helpful and useful in automating and solving complex issues. However, in the case of automated hiring systems, inherent bias will persist. A potential solution would be to enact a government-backed committee that has oversight over the various automated hiring software companies to make sure they are fair and ethical. These two anecdotes serve as a reminder that big data and artificial intelligence can indeed act as a strong supplement of knowledge, but companies should not rely on them too heavily and take necessary precautions to prevent hurting already marginalized communities.
Vincent, J. (2018, October 10). Amazon reportedly scraps internal AI recruiting tool that was biased against women. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/10/17958784/ai-recruiting-tool-bias-amazon-report
