AI-Powered Interviews and Candidate Experience

Companies are now employing artificial intelligence not only to post job openings to candidates, but also to screen and shortlist applicants. One candidate described an AI interview experience as lacking personal connection, stating, “There was no small talk, there was nothing personal, and I wasn't able to really tell if my answers were landing or not.” The candidate also noted the emotionally neutral nature of the interaction, adding, “It felt very emotionally neutral and to the point.”

CBC News spoke with Ribbon AI founder regarding the consideration of personality in AI-conducted interviews. The founder stated, “We don’t actually analyze the candidate’s emotions in any way. One of the reasons why is we think it wouldn’t be fair, right? Actually, interviews for most people is usually like a stressful time, you are a bit nervous, and it's not really a relevant aspect to most roles, right?” However, the founder also explained that the system is designed to mimic a regular interview, scoring candidates similarly to a human interviewer. The system asked questions such as, “Tell me about a time win and when, when, when…”

Despite the intention to replicate a human interview, some candidates found the process challenging. One candidate reported that the AI continued to ask questions related to their experience for an extended period, reaching 45 minutes into the conversation and ultimately exceeding the scheduled time by an hour. The candidate ended the interview, stating, “So I don't mean to interrupt the AI that the interview was over time. So I don't mean to interrupt, but, you know, it's been more than half an hour after the scheduled time of our interview. I just want to be mindful of your time, even though I'm like, it's an AI agent.”

AI as a Hiring Tool: Industry Adoption and Future Outlook

Despite potential glitches, experts suggest increased adoption of AI in hiring. One HR director stated, “It’s less looking to AI as, you know, a replacement, but more a tool in your belt. So how it can make you move faster, it’s certainly not meant to make decisions, hiring decisions on your behalf.” Ribbon AI founder reported having 400 customers two years after creating the software. The founder believes AI will become standard practice in industries such as manufacturing, large restaurant chains, and warehousing, where hiring is often difficult.

AI Persona 'Kia' and Ethical Considerations in Education

Simon Fraser University professor Steve DiPaolo has created an AI persona named Kia to interact with students in a course about AI and ethics. DiPaolo, who has been researching artificial intelligence for 25 years, stated, “And it's real now. So I think there's a notion of how to do it right and how not to do it right. And we don't fully know how to do that.” The university describes this as a first-of-its-kind initiative. Kia’s role is to “augment discussions and deepen understanding of how AI impacts our lives today and in the future.”

DiPaolo explained the intention behind using a non-human persona is to spark discussion, stating, “I think I went a little bit controversial so the class can think and react to it.” However, Kia will not be involved in grading or assessing students. DiPaolo believes AI has been unfairly criticized and can assist individuals in realizing their creative ideas, noting, “There's a number of people who can't do that last mile. They can't paint, they can't do a film, but they have this idea in their head and the AI can actually help finish that off for it.”

Student Use of AI and Concerns About Critical Thinking

A new study by KPMG of 684 Canadian students in post-secondary institutions found that 73% are using generative AI tools like ChatGPT for schoolwork. Students report that AI is improving their grades and assisting with projects. However, the study also revealed that nearly half of the students believe their critical thinking skills are deteriorating due to AI use. One law student stated, “I wouldn't say that I'm using AI tools specifically for legal research because in the field of law, AI is known to hallucinate more often and produce wrong results such as cases that never exist.”

An education professor emphasized the need for instructors to establish clear guidelines regarding acceptable AI use, stating, “Every generation of students has some cheaters, but it also has lots of people that want to learn either by doing it entirely themselves or sometimes with a little assistance. So we still need to figure out what counts as ethical assistance, if you will, or tutoring. But that's not up to the kids to decide. That's up to us to decide.” The professor suggested that assignment design and assessment methods may need to evolve to accommodate the rapidly advancing technology.

AI-Integrated Wearable Technology: Smart Glasses

Tech companies, including Meta, Google, Xiaomi, and Snap, are investing heavily in AI-integrated wearable technology, specifically smart glasses. Meta touted the success of their Ray-Ban smart glasses on a recent earnings call, linking them to their future AI aspirations. Google recently demoed glasses with Gemini AI, while Xiaomi released its first AI glasses in mainland China. Snap announced SPEX, AI and augmented reality glasses scheduled for release next year. These companies have collectively invested over $3 billion in augmented reality glasses.

The appeal of AI glasses lies in their convenience and hands-free functionality, allowing users to record video, listen to music, and access AI features. Optician Dennis Lim Aken noted that users often employ smart glasses for these purposes. Aken also stated that people generally do not feel uncomfortable being recorded by the glasses, adding, “You know, maybe if you're doing something weird. But other than that, you know, not really. Nobody's really said anything.”

Experts suggest that AI glasses will provide AI agents with access to a user’s visual world, enabling more proactive assistance. However, concerns remain regarding data privacy and control, with a need for user-friendly interfaces to manage these settings. One expert stated, “Ideally, we provide a lot of control for the users to be able to make those choices. The tricky part is right now the interface to a lot of these controls is pretty complicated.”