Japanese firms testing AI tech to recruit talent

Many Japanese companies have already shifted to online interviews and seminars for recruiting new employees due to the coronavirus pandemic, but some have gone a step further by testing artificial intelligence to efficiently hire talent. But while companies see the benefits of AI, such as standardization in the hiring process and saving recruiters' time by automating high-volume tasks, they are still far from relying completely on the technology due to concerns about it yielding inappropriate or discriminatory decisions. "Using AI in screening tens of thousands of applicant resumes has helped us cut total labor time by 75 percent. From May, we have also started implementing AI in assessing videos sent by applicants," said Tomoko Sugihara, director of recruitment at SoftBank Corp. "Extra time that has been created thanks to AI allows recruiters more time to proactively engage with potential candidates in person, build relationships and carefully determine the candidates' culture fit," Sugihara said. The major mobile carrier, which hires more than 1,000 people a year, has trained AI with data from 1,500 past resume sheets.