Improving Work With Responsible AI

At the Indeed FutureWorks Bengaluru 2023, the opening session was presented by Conor McCarthy, Indeed Head of Sales – APAC & EMEA. In a 15-minute-long session, McCarthy spoke at length about the importance of work, the Indian labour market, and the emergence of AI.

He had this to say about the human vs AI debate in hiring: “Whilst the technology is exciting, we also need to remember that human connection is very important and humans will continue to play a very important role, particularly in the world of talent and hiring.”

According to McCarthy, unchecked use of AI in hiring can have potentially disastrous consequences for both employers and job seekers. Indeed’s Responsible AI principles is a proactive approach that aims to harness AI while minimising its dangers.

To learn more about these threats and Indeed’s approach to AI in hiring, read the key highlights from McCarthy’s opening session and Indeed FutureWorks Bengaluru 2023, presented below in a condensed format.

The Importance Of Work

The reason why work is important – 90,000 hours, that is approximately the amount of time all of us spend in our working lives. In fact, it is about 12-13 years of our life. To put that in perspective, we spend a year socialising with friends over the course of our lives.

Work is not just a job. It is more than that. Work presents an opportunity for us to have meaning, have purpose in life. It gives us some structure.

India’s Labour Market

3.3 billion is the number of people who are either working or looking for all around the world. Essentially, this number is the size of the global labour workforce. In India, it is 467 million people who are either employed or looking for work today.

To put that number into perspective, 467 million is approximately equal to the combined population of the USA and Mexico. It is a big number, which makes Indeed’s mission to help these people get jobs more important.

Talent Attraction

In a recent study in India, 77% of people reported to have been contacted by a recruiter for a position they did not apply for.

Recruiters spend a lot of time sifting through resumes, potentially calling candidates who may or may not know about the opportunity, and at times trying to convince them to apply for a job that they know nothing about or have no interest in. It leads to the wastage of a lot of time and potential resources.

McCarthy spoke about reimagining how we hire in the future in what he called an evolution from talent acquisition to talent attraction.

Talent attraction is a different way of curating the job seekers journey, all the way from the employer branding to the application process, the candidate experience, feedback and communication, and getting all the way to the offer.

“Talent attraction is about carefully managing every stage of the process in a way that energises, that motivates, that delights and excites the job seeker and encourages them to partner with you. It ensures that you are hiring better at a lower cost, less time and ultimately resulting in better quality applicants for your business.”

The Impact Of AI On The World Of Work

In Indeed’s research around AI in the workplace, we found:

• 81% of HR and TA leaders are optimistic that AI tools will allow them to focus on the more human aspects of the job.
• 98% of employers in India are already using AI-based tools.
• 85% of job seekers feel that AI tools will create new jobs that they will be qualified for in the next 1–5 years.
• 85% of job seekers are optimistic about AI systems and tools helping them to acquire new skills or to improve skills.

Overall, this is quite optimistic. Both employers and job seekers seem to be, quite positive about the impact of AI on the world of work.

The Impact Of AI On Hiring

While there is general optimism about how AI can improve work, the impact of AI on hiring is not so positive. Based on the same research, 77% of job seekers are concerned about bias in data used to train AI tools that employers use in hiring. Around 48% of job seekers said that they ask to be evaluated by a human instead of or in addition to an AI system when searching for a job.

“AI will change the world of work. One thing that is clear for all is that change is inevitable. And you have a choice – you can either hide and pretend it is not happening, not a good strategy, or you can embrace it. History has shown that companies, who do not embrace change, fail. Those who do, win. That is the opportunity for everyone here today.”, said McCarthy.

The Threat Of Unchecked AI

No technology is perfect and the same is true of AI. “If AI goes unchecked, potentially it is going to lead to more barriers to entry for job seekers, potentially less inclusion and diversity, ultimately as a consequence, weaker business performance. The research is clear on this: diversity means better business performance.” 

McCarthy reinforced that this is why Indeed is committed to leveraging AI responsibly on our platforms. “We want to ensure that there are fewer barriers, more inclusion and diversity, ultimately, that is going to help you build stronger businesses.”, he said.

Indeed’s Responsible AI Principles

“It is important that we think about and use AI responsibly. We have to be careful that AI technology is not manipulated in the wrong way, potentially leading to the hiring of the wrong person, or rejecting the right person for a job. These things can happen without human judgment and intervention being involved in the process.”

Conor McCarthy highlighted Indeed’s Responsible AI practices:

• Job seeker first
• Centre fairness and equity
• Listen and learn
• Hiring is human
• Innovate responsibly

Essentially, the common thread through all of this is: looking hiring through the lens of inclusion, making sure that we are opening up hiring to as diverse a population as possible and eroding barriers to employment where they might exist

McCarthy went on to highlight the progress Indeed has made globally on its ESG commitment to reduce barriers in hiring. “Our commitment, which we have set as a company globally, is that by 2030, we will have helped 30 million job seekers with barriers to get hired. Since May 2021, we have helped 3.9 million job seekers facing barriers get work. So we still have a long way to go, but we have made some really good progress, and we are confident that we can get to this goal by 2030.”