AI driven hiring surges as applicants mount strong pushback

Companies under pressure to screen thousands of applications are increasingly delegating first-round job interviews to artificial-intelligence bots. HR departments cite the technology's capacity to schedule calls, pose standardized questions, and deliver shortlists of qualified candidates as a critical gain in efficiency, especially in high-volume hiring for retail, customer-service, and entry-level tech roles. Workplace-trends analyst Priya Rathod notes that AI "is doing that first-stage work employers need in order to be more efficient and save time."

Many applicants, however, perceive the experience as impersonal or even disrespectful. Editorial veteran Debra Borchardt abandoned her first automated interview within minutes, describing the additional layer of automation as "a step too far" after months of searching for work. Some candidates view the absence of human interaction as a red flag for company culture and now decline opportunities that involve bot-mediated screening.

Technical writer Allen Rausch, who has encountered three AI interviewers since being laid off, said the digital avatars could not answer basic questions about the employer, leaving him uncertain about next steps and doubtful about the value of the process. He would only consider future bot interviews if the firm guaranteed a subsequent conversation with a person.

Vendors of the AI bots, however, insist the tools are working as intended. Adam Jackson, chief executive of Braintrust, whose platform conducts hundreds of automated interviews at a time, argues that widespread rejection of the idea is not occurring. He says clients are enthusiastic because the software reliably identifies the top 10 percent of applicants for human review.

There is, however, a caveat: while AI can verify skills and calibrate answers against predefined rubrics, gauging cultural fit remains best left to people. Jackson acknowledges that the technology "wouldn't even try" to evaluate the cultural fit that matters once a candidate is shortlisted.