In today's episode Simone reflects on some research work that looks at AI hiring algorithms. They begin by looking at an article on how AI creates bias when screening resumes because it is designed to generalise (ie stereotype). They continue by looking at a study of racial bias and systemic rejection in AI hiring tools, and some other articles around this topic.

The conclusions they come to from all of this is that these algorithms don’t just regurgitate the racism from within their programmers, and the culture that surrounds them, they also create bias as part of how they function. These algorithms and the tools that use them are "pervasively adopted, highly consequential and opaque to the public”, and whilst they are presented as objective and neutral that is very much not the case.

References:

AI is more likely than humans to form biases when hiring by Michelle Kim https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/07/20/1140655/ai-biases-hiring-humans/

AI Hiring Tools Can Yield Racial Bias and Systemic Rejection https://hai.stanford.edu/news/ai-hiring-tools-can-yield-racial-bias-and-systemic-rejection

AI is reinventing hiring — with the same old biases by Emilio J. Castilla https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/ai-reinventing-hiring-same-old-biases-heres-how-to-avoid-trap

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