Human vs Robot: Is Using Artificial Intelligence More Effective at Recruiting, Hiring Staff for Companies?

Researchers in London recently reviewed previous research that examined the effectiveness of artificial intelligence as a recruitment tool.

A Mail Online report specified that a new study shows that AI is "better at hiring staff" compared to human bosses, although companies still do not trust it in the recruitment processes.

The authors of this new study found that AI is equal to or better than human recruiters in hiring people to continue performing well at work.

Even though AI had limited abilities in predicting employee outcomes after they got hired, more so, AI is "fairer" and marked a significant improvement over humans, the researchers revealed.

Artificial Intelligence Boosting 'Fill Rate' for Open Positions

Artificial intelligence boosts the "fill-rate" for open positions and is, more often than not, better than humans when it comes to improving diversity in the workplace. Essentially, fill rate refers to the number of jobs that are still open, waiting to be filled.

The new research published in Artificial Intelligence Review was carried out by scientists at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

According to LSE's Grace Lorden, the study author, humans are "plagued by cronyism and bias" when hiring people. This means that the best candidate does not always get the job they deserve.

She added it is time that humans hand over to machines, the hiring process machines that are not inclined to these.

Algorithms Embedded for Hiring Process

Essentially, biases embedded in algorithms can be mitigated with more care from those writing them, and adherence folk who don't have skin in the hiring process can observe the process to diminish any concerns about fairness.

A similar Verified News Explorer Network report said, as of 2019, about 37 percent of businesses had adopted AI to help in the work processes of decision-making, including recruitment, a previous study showed.

Artificial intelligence can be used in the recruitment process in many ways, such as scanning through hundreds of curriculum vitae for a specific combination of keywords to trim down applicants to those who have the most relevant experience.

Another example is the application of chatbots to perform an initial interview with a candidate before they can meet the perspective human employer.

For this research, the authors examined 22 studies in all that were al published from 2005, around the time AI took place in the workplace, until 2021.

AI Found to be Better Than Humans in the Hiring Process

Data were extracted from all relevant research, and the papers were classified into themes according to the outcome being examined, like diversity and efficiency.

In general, artificial intelligence was found to be "equal to, or better" compared to humans when employed in the hiring process, although humans hold a belief of their superiority and are so inclined to believe that they can make better decisions compared to an AI.

Furthermore, AI also recommends candidates who have a greater likelihood of being hired following an interview, more so than humans.

The researchers examined too if AI could lessen biased decision-making and enhance the diversity of selected candidates.

Overall, hiring using an AI-led to more results-focused on promoting diversity and inclusion than human hiring, though this differs according to the AI, noted the authors.

Depending on the data inputted and the algorithm, AI can be either slightly worse or much better compared to humans when it comes to choosing underrepresented groups for hire, like people of color, LGBT people, and people with disabilities.

Related information about the use of AI tools for hiring employees is shown on Wall Street Journal's YouTube video below:

Check out more news and information on Artificial Intelligence in Science Times.