AI hiring monoculture is delivering racial bias at scale
A research project examining AI-driven recruitment hires across the US has revealed a systemic racial bias. Researchers from Stanford University found a startling pattern of racial disparities when looking at the interview offers resulting from 4 million job applications submitted to 156 employers. The situation is aggravated by the “monoculture” in AI hiring software: More than 90% of US employers are screening job applicants with software, with 60% of Fortune 500 companies using the same tool, HireVue, the researchers found. Applicants who applied to multiple companies using AI had all their applications rejected more often than would be expected if each company’s screening methods were independent. They calculated that Black and Asian candidates were rejected in greater numbers than baseline figures would suggest. According to the survey, 29,000 more Asians would have been interviewed if AI had not been deployed. The researchers are concerned about the way in which AI is being used.