Attractive People Get Unfair Advantages at Work. AI Can Help.

One reason for the widespread interest in AI is that it has the potential to reduce the degree of bias underpinning human decisions. For example, meta-analytic studies have long highlighted the pervasive nature of bias in hiring and recruitment. Even in the rich and liberal world, there are many biases at play in the workplace, which account for the unmeritocratic or unfair advantage that some groups have over others, irrespective of their actual talent or potential: sexism, racism, and ageism, to name just a few. But one of the most prominent biases is hardly ever discussed or acknowledged, namely the beauty bias -- also known as "lookism." Indeed, the existence of a beauty premium in the labor market is well-documented.